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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23827810">Fulfilled Destiny</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniDarth/pseuds/DaniDarth'>DaniDarth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Angst, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:01:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23827810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniDarth/pseuds/DaniDarth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a young Padawan he has a vision that leads him to Anakin Skywalker when he's only three years old. And this event, one vision that lasts only a few seconds, will change the fate of an entire galaxy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.</p><p>A/N: This story is being written for many many years and now I finally got back to it. I hope you enjoy and leave your feedback.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>I wish we had found him sooner...", Qui-Gon's voice trailed off as he looked at the little boy sitting against the wall covered in an orange shawl, "He seems so cold…" he observed, a wave of pity for the child fills his thoughts.</em></p><p>"<em>Yes… Tatooine is a very hot place and space is a very cold one…" Obi-Wan shook his head pensively at Qui-Gon’s response. Surely, there had to be more to it. "But Master, the Council will never agree to train him… he's too old," he averted his gaze to his Master. They all knew Jedi were trained from a very young age. There was a reason for it; although it seemed cruel to cut those children’s ties to their families, it was essential for them to grow away from the mundane pleasures and feelings that were so dangerous to someone who was powerful enough to wield the Force; a power that, given the right set of circumstances could turn into something dark and dangerous. </em></p><p>"<em>Yes, my Padawan, too old he might be and yet the Force tells me to take him with us… I believe… I truly believe he might be the Chosen One".</em></p><p>"<em>That's quite the burden, Master", Obi-Wan sighed. Maybe it would have been better to leave him with his Mother”.</em></p><p>"<em>Indeed, but so is being a slave and at least of that destiny we've spared him."</em></p><p>"<em>That's true… if only we had found him sooner…", a whisper escapes Obi-Wan's lips before his voice ultimately trails off.</em></p><p>
  <em>Looking at that boy brought him a sense of dread, almost fear. Something terrible would happen; something that would be devastating, tragic even. Obi-Wan didn’t know how or when, but the Force was warning him, it was an ominous feeling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“The boy is too old”, the Force whispered at him, “The boy is too dangerous”.</em>
</p><p>Obi-Wan Kenobi, the young Padawan of the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, opened his eyes, he could feel the cold sweat forming on his forehead. <em>What had he seen?</em></p><p>The Room of a Thousand Fountains surrounded him still as he looked around. It was a vision, he had never left the Temple.</p><p> His Master sat beside him, meditating, as they always did early in the mornings.</p><p>He took a deep breath. It was the first time the Force graced him with a vision. He couldn’t tell whether that was a blessing or a curse. He didn’t know if he was even supposed to be able to have a vision. </p><p>But he did. It was not a dream, he knew it; this was not like any dream he ever had.</p><p>He could see himself, a little older perhaps, and that little boy hugging his legs against his chest, trembling of fear and cold. He sighed and looked upon his Master.</p><p>This couldn’t wait. If the Force bestowed that moment of clarity upon him, then he must pursue its meanings and all of the consequences that it could possibly bring.</p><p>The Chosen One.</p><p>Was is destiny to find the Chosen One before it was too late? Was this what Force wanted him to know?</p><p>
  <em>The boy is too old, the boy is too dangerous.</em>
</p><p>Maybe he was still not too old, maybe if he finds him now, it won’t be too late.</p><p>The boy was on Tatooine and Obi-Wan had too find him; he had to find him now.</p><p>"Master?" he asked, causing Qui-Gon to open his eyes and regard him carefully. He always looked so serene after his meditation. Obi-Wan hoped that one day he might achieve the same level of connection to the Force.</p><p>Qui-Gon Jinn watched his Padawan and thought of how proud he was of him. And to think, that he didn't even want to take him under his wing. Yet, at that moment, he knew taking Obi-Wan as his apprentice was the one thing he could never regret.</p><p>Obi-Wan has much to learn still, but he was becoming wise and powerful and a far better Jedi than Qui-Gon could ever hope to be. That thought made him smile.</p><p>"Yes?" he responded simply.</p><p>"Master, we must go to Tatooine" Obi-Wan said with urgency and resolve.</p><p>"And why would we go to Tatooine, my young Padawan?" Qui-Gon looked attentively at his young Padawan, curious about why the boy was so intent on taking a trip to that far away desert planet.</p><p>"I had a vision, Master… and the Force is telling me… it's telling me that I must search for this boy…" Obi-Wan answered as he watched the great waterfall in front of him. The sound of the running water and the younglings that played and laughed around them was soothing and helped him recover from the experience; they sounded like peace and joy.</p><p>"I see… Tell me more about your vision Obi-Wan" Qui-Gon requested quietly. His curiosity was peaked. To have a vision from the Force required a great connection to it. He was proud of his Padawan before but now his pride was tenfold.</p><p>"We were in a ship and there was a boy. He looked no more than ten years-old. He looked… cold. I sensed much fear in him, Master. We mentioned Tatooine and you said…" he sighed before he says the most important part of it "you said, you believed he was the Chosen One", he met his Master's gaze and realized that what he said took the Master Jedi by surprise. It was not an obvious reaction, but a mere twitch of Qui-Gon's eyebrow that lasted no more than a second.</p><p>Obi-Wan waited for it to pass and continued, “We must find him Master, before it is too late, before he becomes dangerous.”</p><p>"This is important indeed… We must speak to Master Yoda," he stood and soon the young Padawan followed him.</p><p>"Intriguing, this is," Master Yoda said after being told of Obi-Wan's vision "But careful we must be when sensing the future," he spoke directly to the Padawan.</p><p>"I know Master, but I feel I must do this Master, I feel the Force urging me to do it, to find this boy. It's almost like this is my mission." Obi-Wan responded and it made Qui-Gon smile. Never had he seen his young apprentice so determined. He showed such a resolve that nothing Master Yoda would say could ever make him think this is something other than the will of the Force. If Qui-Gon he had to defy the Council once more, he would have no shame in doing so.</p><p>"I see… Not to be discarded, a vision of the Force is. If the Chosen One, this boy is, begin his training at once the Jedi Order must. Go to Tatooine you will, find this boy and to the Council bring him."</p><p>"Thank you Master", Obi-Wan smiled at the trust Master Yoda deposited in him. He felt happy, approved, accepted as a Jedi.</p><p>Not many hours later, he found himself in a ship accompanied by his Master. It was a long trip to Tatooine and he was happy that his vision told him, at least, the planet object of his search. But then again, planets are big and he didn't even know the boy's name. He wouldn't know where to start. And Tatooine was a planet with many slaves. It would be hard to find this boy.</p><p>"Patience, Obi-Wan. The Force will guide us, we will find him", Qui-Gon admonished, sensing his young Padawan's feelings.</p><p>"But Master, we don't even know his name… Where will we even begin?" Obi-Wan's youth made him impatient. A trait his Master knew would fade in time.</p><p>"We have more clues than you seem to know, Obi-Wan. Analyze your vision, look at the details, think and trust in the Force. It will guide us and take us to this boy," and Obi-Wan did as instructed by his Master.</p><p>He knew his Master looked older, he had some gray hairs which he doesn't possess at the moment and he looked older himself too. Which means that it would be at somewhere in the not so near future. So he knew they were looking for a small boy. He relaxed a bit, knowing that the Force would be there to guide him through every step, just as his Master said it would be. And right then he knew that the Force was telling him he <em>would </em>find this boy. Regardless of how hard it would be. What he didn't know is that it would be much easier than he believed.</p><p>The twin suns shone brightly when the Jedi land on the desert planet of Tatooine. The dryness and of the air invaded Obi-Wan’s lungs as soon as he stepped out of the ship.</p><p>Mos Espa was a dreadful place, frequented by the most gruesome villains that roamed the Galaxy, most of them worked for the Hutts, as most do on the planet. Pirates, smugglers and bounty hunters seemed to roam the spaceport as normal citizens, police and security were non-existent.</p><p>It was a place run by bandits indeed.</p><p>"Let's go for a drink." Qui-Gon smiled as he entered a nearby cantina followed by his Padawan. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, didn't feel much like smiling. He swallowed the lump on his throat when the smell of alcohol and rot invaded his nostrils as he entered the cantina. It looked like it wasn’t cleaned in years and yet no one but him seemed to find that repulsive. They sat at the counter where they were immediately approached by the alien bartender.</p><p>"I want some corellian brandy and it will be water for my young friend here," Obi-Wan couldn't help but roll his eyes; the amusement on Qui-Gon's features, however, was quite obvious. He always took great pleasure on teasing his young Padawan.</p><p>Qui-Gon took the opportunity to begin their investigation as soon as their drinks were served. "We are looking to buy a slave", he informed the alien as he set their glasses in front of them, "What would be the most appropriate way of doing so?"</p><p>The alien growled a little but it seemed to be his normal reaction when customers started a conversation with him. He was not the chatty type but sometimes it came with the job so he just had to handle it the best way he could, even if that implied answering his customers' questions. "The Hutts", he responded quite simply.</p><p>"I see" Qui-Gon replied, "What specific Hutt would you recommend?"</p><p>"Maybe Gardulla or Jabba. Any one of those have plenty of slaves to spare and are always looking for good business", if he had shoulders Obi-Wan was certain that he would shrug.</p><p>"Where can we find them?"</p><p>"Hmmm tomorrow they'll probably be attending the podraces. There'll be a tournament right outside of Mos Espa. They always attend." he offered.</p><p>"We thank you for the information", Qui-Gon said bowing slightly as they both stood and abandon their drinks. For the first time the bartender looked at them rather closely and frowned. As they turned to leave he lost control over his curiosity.</p><p>"Why would two Jedi want a slave?"</p><p>"To free him", Obi-Wan spoke to the alien for the first time, a smile forming on his lips. Without waiting for any other remark he turned to leave after his Master.</p><p>The podraces were always a big event on Tatooine, actually most of everything revolved around them. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon surveyed the scenery around them as they arrived. Pilots and crews were prepping their pods in a hurry, thousands of people sat on the bleaches cheering despite the fact that the race hasn't started yet and then, up above, there were the boxes for the wealthy and powerful. As soon as they arrived, they were informed that the Mighty Jabba the Hutt would not be present due to pressing business. It was quite the way to be greeted. Manners in hutesse weren’t something usual. But Gardulla the Hutt would be present and betting fiercely as she always did.</p><p>Approaching the entrance of Gardulla's box they were stopped by a Twi’lek guard.</p><p>"We have business with the Great Gardulla" Qui Gon said with a slight wave of his hand, "You will let us in". He skillfully implanted the suggestion in the guard's mind as he repeated his words in hutesse right before letting them in. A Toydarian flew pass them as they entered and he seemed to be discussing something with the Hutt.</p><p>"One isn't enough. I want three", he said in hutesse making Gardulla growl. No one had noticed the Jedi's presence yet.</p><p>"Two. The mother and the boy. And I offer no more!", the Hutt made her final offer and the toydarian seemed to know he would get no more, for he agreed with a nod and settled next to the Hutt, looking quite pleased despite himself. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a glance as if saying to each other that the Force was smiling upon them. Qui-Gon cleared his throat making everyone in the room finally acknowledge their presence.</p><p>"Jedi…" Gardulla hissed.</p><p>"We come in business, we do not wish to fight" the protocol droid began translating. Qui-Gon spoke in basic and Gardulla in hutesse and yet no translation was needed. They both understood each other quite well and yet no one seemed to care about stopping the droid.</p><p>"Business? What kind of business?", Gardulla asked curiously.</p><p>"Slaves, we wish to buy a slave" Gardulla seems suspicious but said nothing more. She wasn’t interested in picking a fight with a Jedi and if they wanted to buy slaves that's fine. Their money was worth as much as anyone else’s. So she commanded them to sit and wait for the end of the races.</p><p>As the violent race progressed and several competitors were already out of commission, a woman entered and began walking around the presents serving drinks and food to her Master and her guests. Obi-Wan immediately realized she was a slave. Her demeanor immediately denounced her unfortunate condition; her head hanged low and no one spare her an acknowledgement; she was there to serve and nothing more. It abhorred Obi-Wan. He sighed and shook his head.</p><p>Suddenly he felt a presence accompanied by a sound; the sound of a child's laughter that resounded strongly in the Force. Whoever that child was, he was quite close but not in the same room as they were. He nudged Qui-Gon who also seemed to have come to the same realization. The two Jedi stood and followed the woman. Gardulla and the Toydarian were too busy watching the race to notice their departure.</p><p>There was a small room, more like a cubicle, adjacent to the box. There were drinks and food set on two small tables and the woman moved between them to gather the things she needed to serve her Master and his guests. Obi-Wan looked around and there, in a dark corner, there was a boy, a toddler. He was no more than three years old. In his hands rested a small toy that seems like a pod racer. It looked old and used but the boy was not playing with it. Instead, he is returning Obi-Wan's gaze intently. And then he smiled a wide beautiful smile that only the innocence of a child could bestow. And Obi-Wan felt it: the Force around that boy, surrounding him, penetrating him, it made him shine as he had never seen anything shine before. The force was strong with him and he had no doubt that the boy sensed their presence long before they entered the little cubicle. And he kept smiling as if he was pleased with what he saw. Obi-Wan recognized his features, his blonde hair and blue eyes, the shape of his face… the Force.</p><p>"That's him Master", Obi-Wan whispered not turning his gaze from the boy.</p><p>"I know,"</p><p>The voices startled the woman and she turned around to look at the Jedi. "What are you doing here?" she asked placing a hand above her heart.</p><p>"I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi", he introduced them with a slight but respectful bow.</p><p>"Padawan? So… are you… Jedi?", she asked, her hand falling from her chest to her side.</p><p>"Yes Madam", Obi-Wan answered.</p><p>"Why are you here?" she reflexively looked at her son who was still smiling at the two Jedi.</p><p>"Some circumstances brought us to Tatooine, to search for someone. I think we found him", Qui-Gon smiled at her as she looked back at him.</p><p>"My son…" it was more of a realization than a question.</p><p>"Yes, your son", she remained quiet for quite some time. Obi-Wan could see the conflict settling on her features. She knew her son deserved better than a life of slavery, but she couldn’t bear the thought of parting with him.</p><p>"I am Shmi Skywalker, and this is my son Anakin," she broke the long silence. "Will you take him with you?"</p><p>"Perhaps" Qui-Gon replied.</p><p>"He seems to know you're Jedi, he can't keep his eyes off you…" she trailed off, a sad smile adorning her features.</p><p>"Yes, he does seem to know", Qui-Gon looked at the boy "the Force is strong with him. Very strong," Obi-Wan agreed with his Master with a nod of his head.</p><p>"Do you have to take him?"</p><p>"Not unless you allow us to," Qui-Gon watched her as the expression in her face changed from sadness to hope and then to sadness again. He had never had children. It was forbidden for him to do so, but he couldn’t imagine how it would feel for a mother to let go of her child like this; knowing that they probably would never see their child again. He wondered for a moment about how his own parents felt when he was taken to the Jedi Temple when he was only a toddler, probably even younger than Anakin. For a moment he felt happy that such things were forbidden to Jedi, he wouldn't want to discover the feeling had he to deliver his own child to complete strangers. Reflexively his hand rested to Obi-Wan's shoulder, the closest thing he had to a son and he wondered, he feared, what would be like to lose him.</p><p>"I don't want him to be a slave forever, he deserves more, he deserves better than I can ever give him. But parting with him…" she didn’t finish the sentence; she knew she didn’t have to. "But a mother's duty is to do what is best for her child and sending him with you… it's better, isn't it?" she asked hopefully. She needed to know for sure, she had to know or else she would regret it for the rest of her life.</p><p>"I don't know," Qui-Gon approached the woman, landing his hand on her arm as some way of odd and impossible comfort "but we shall do our best."</p><p>"I've heard of the goodness of the Jedi, of the great men and women they are… you are. Ever since I knew I was with child I knew him to be destined for great things. I could feel it… I just… knew. There was no father, you know? Anakin… he's special and as much as I love him I can't be in the way of his path, of his destiny. He was given to me for a reason and I cannot deny him that. I know that I should… that I <em>must</em>… let him go…"</p><p>"It mustn't be easy to part with one's child this way, but I promise you that we'll take care of him to the best of our abilities. He will become a Jedi, you have my word," Obi-Wan interjected and Shmi looks at him. She smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder and even though she had never met him, she knew Obi-Wan Kenobi was a man of his word.</p><p>"I've always had the feeling that this day would come and now that it is here I am happy to see the people who will take care of my son. I always feared… I don't know what I feared. It's hard to explain. But you seem like good people." In the meantime, Anakin rose to his feet and was forcefully tugging at Obi-Wan's cloak. He took the chance to crouch and look at the boy in the eyes.</p><p>"Hello there!" Obi-Wan said making Anakin giggle and respond with a shy "hi". "I am Obi-Wan, what is your name?"</p><p>"Anakin" his childish voice responded right before he ran and hid behind his mother's leg. Truly the Force is powerful, but probably not as much as the comfort brought by a loving mother. Or so Obi-Wan believed; he had no memory of his own parents. He lived in the Jedi Temple for as long as he remembered. Sometimes he wished he could meet them. Seeing Anakin with his mother made him wonder about his own. He wondered if she was soft spoken like Shmi, if she was beautiful, or kind, or smart. He sighed and pushed the thoughts away, it was not the time or the place to dwell of such considerations.</p><p>"I'm afraid it won't be so easy to take him. We are slaves and belong to Gardulla the Hutt. He was born into slavery," she ran a hand through her son's blonde locks. "And I believe she's just bet our property with Watto. Whoever wins this race will determine the owner of our lives".</p><p>"I know. We will find a way" Qui-Gon replied and as he does a shameful amount of hutesse curse words come from front of the box. He was convinced that Gardulla as just lost this bet. Their business wasn't with her anymore, but with Watto. They found their way back to the gamblers where an argument between the Hutt and the Toydarian had just erupted. Shmi followed closely, holding Anakin on her arms. Gardulla seemed surprised to see the Jedi, perhaps she was too focused on her anger to remember they were even there. But her memory soon returned.</p><p>"What business do you have here Jedi?" she asked finally, contempt filling her voice.</p><p>"We wish to buy the boy and his mother", another turret of hutesse curse words came out of her mouth.</p><p>"They belong to me now", the Toydarian named Watto informed them, "If you want a deal on them come to my shop in Mos Espa tomorrow and we will discuss it".</p><p>Gardulla growled her discontentment as the Jedi bowed and turned to leave. They gave a reassuring smile to Shmi before they leave and all the way they kept Gardulla's angry complaints. It seems that this was her unlucky day.</p><p>The following day, after another strenuous night sleeping on their ship, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived at Watto's shop early in the morning. Shmi and Anakin were already there, as they would be, since they were the object of the trade. Once again Obi-Wan felt disgusted at the way people were so easily treated as property. Qui-Gon shared the feeling, but his age and wisdom made it look much less apparent.</p><p>"Oh you came, you came", Watto said clapping his wings towards them as soon as the Jedi reached the door. "Shmi, bring the boy here", he ordered his new acquired property. Once they arrived he started examining them "The boy seems promising", he said turning the child’s face from one side to the other while holding his chin. Anakin started crying because of the tough treatment making Watto turn his attention to his mother. "The mother is not bad. Yes, not bad for a human. What do you think?" he asked the Jedi.</p><p>"Twenty thousand for the both of them," Qui-Gon offered.</p><p>"Twenty thousand? No way, no way! The boy alone is worth that! Thirty for the two of them", he countered hoping to reach at least twenty-five. He seeeds very much surprised when Qui-Gon immediately accepted his counter-offer.</p><p>"Deal!" he smiled and reached his small hand to shake Qui-Gon's to seal the deal.</p><p>"The transmitters," Qui-Gon demanded without accepting the compliment.</p><p>"The money first, Jedi. I am no fool!" Qui-Gon reached for the pouch that was attached to his belt and landed the money on the counter. Watto's eyes glowed brightly at the sight of wealth. "Ummm, very well. I'll get the transmitters," and as fast as he disappeared to the back of the shop he arrived once more. Obi-Wan took the transmitters from him, deactivated them and destroyed them with the handle of his lightsaber to the utter surprise of the Toydarian. But then again, what was he expecting? They are Jedi and Jedi have no use or desire for slaves.</p><p>"That wasn't so hard as I thought it would be Master," Obi-Wan commented as they left Watto behind them accompanied by Shmi and Anakin.</p><p>"The Force guided us here, my young Padawan. You must learn to trust it more".</p>
<hr/><p>Goodbye is never easy. With her freedom, Shmi made the choice to stay behind. Her place was in Tatooine. She had no wish of getting in the way of her son's life. A Jedi didn’t meet his family and if that’s what it took for him to follow his path then that's what it will be.</p><p>She never fooled herself by believing it would be easy to be parted from her beloved child, yet, she would endure the pain and hope against hope she made the right decision.</p><p>"Will I ever see him again?", she asked grabbing Obi-Wan's sleeve as he held young Anakin in his arms and headed towards the ramp of their ship.</p><p>"Do you think you will?"</p><p>"I hope so…"</p><p>"Then you will…"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan has changed. Somewhere along the way the plan has changed. Qui-Gon was supposed to take Anakin as his Padawan as soon as Obi-Wan was Knighted. But then, Qui-Gon died. Taken ruthlessly by a Sith. And as Obi-Wan held his Master in his arms as he took his last breath, he made him a promise he wasn't sure he could keep. He promised he'd train Anakin; but Obi-Wan didn't feel like he could. Yet he gave him his word despite the fact that he had just lost his Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi never breaks his word. He was just a Padawan but he has always been a man of honour in spite of his youth. But he couldn't, not right away. It was so hard and it hurt so much! He felt like an orphan and that's what they call them: Orphaned Padawans. That's exactly what he was and he couldn't take the responsibility.</p><p>He was bestowed Knighthood just a few days after he arrived on Coruscant after the terrible events of Naboo. The Council claimed that he had been the first Jedi to kill a Sith in centuries so he was spared the trials. But he didn't want the fame, or the recognition, or the glory. All he wanted was his Master back but he knew that would never happen. Qui-Gon was one with the Force and it was Obi-Wan's turn to make his path for himself. But it took months to accept that reality, to recover from the incommensurable loss. But he eventually did and he was a man of principle. He still had reservations that he took upon the knowledge of Master Yoda. The latter claimed that training Anakin, the Chosen One, was most likely the will of the Force. He was the one who found him in the first place, so that was bound to mean something. Obi-Wan doubted it did, the vision just came to him as he meditated, it could've happened to any other Jedi, but the Force used him because he was right there: available and open to receive its transmission. Or maybe not, maybe it was his fate. Perhaps it really was the will of the Force. But the burden of training the one who is claimed to be the Chosen One was almost as heavy as the burden of being the Chosen One himself. But Obi-Wan had given his word to his Master and he would not fail his promise. So Anakin Skywalker became Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi's Padawan at the young age of nine years old, roughly four months after the death of the man who Obi-Wan thought was the most fit to train him and yet, the duty fell on him.</p><p>And truth be told, that youngling had stuck to him as iron to a magnet. During the whole trip from Tatooine, which was rather long, Anakin clung to Obi-Wan's leg, slept in his bunk, cried on his shoulder, made him play with his little pod toy. And even at the Temple, Anakin would follow him every time he wasn't on a mission, in the cantina, in the hallways of the great Temple. He even knocked on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's shared quarters a couple of times during the night when he had some sort of bad dream, looking for comfort on Obi-Wan. He also usually could sense when he arrived from a mission and he'd search the Temple for him.</p><p>Now Obi-Wan remembered the fondness that Anakin always had for him and, even though at the time it was quite puzzling, now he felt it was very endearing. He knew too that Anakin replaced his mother with Obi-Wan and maybe that's why his Master made him promise to train him. He now believes that Qui-Gon eventually intended to not train Anakin at all and leave the responsibility to Obi-Wan even if he had survived. The connection between them was too obvious to ignore and the Council felt exactly the same way. So that was how Obi-Wan became Master to Anakin.</p><p>Now, ten years after taking his first Padawan, there he was in a turbolift, with a grown man that once was the three year old toddler he brought from Tatooine, on his way to play bodyguard to a Senator.</p><p>Obi-Wan snickered as he waited for the turbolift to reach the luxurious 500 Republica penthouse of Senator Amidala and Anakin gave him a side glance.</p><p>"What's so funny, Master?"</p><p>"Oh nothing at all. I was just remembering that time when you were five and knocked on my door because you decided to run out on Master Yoda to skip Force skill trainings. How spoiled you were," he laughed again.</p><p>"Very funny, Master. But you know Master Yoda would come after me, and my shins couldn't take more of that gimer stick of his," It was Anakin's turn to laugh.</p><p>"Oh yes, Master Yoda and his gimer stick are truly partners in crime. I believe there is no Jedi who hasn't suffered from that particular evil".</p><p>"Yeah, he caught me eventually. He sure is sneaky!" Anakin grinned just as the doors of the turbolift chimed open. They walked into the apartment where Obi-Wan was received by an enthusiastic Jar Jar Binks who soon led them to the presence of the Senator, the very object of their mission.</p><p>"It's a great pleasure to see you again, milady," Obi-Wan greets as the Senator approaches the Jedi with a satisfied smile.</p><p>"It's been far too long, Master Kenobi,"</p><p>"Indeed it has, Senator" Obi-Wan takes the chance to glance at his young apprentice "This is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker," he introduces and the Senator exchanges respectful bows with the young man before leading them to the center of the room and silently inviting them to sit.</p><p>"Our presence here will be invisible, milady, I can assure you," Obi-Wan continued before being interrupted.</p><p>"I'm Captain Typho of Her Majesty's security services. Queen Jamilla has been informed of your assignment. I am grateful you're here Master Kenobi, the situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit," Captain Typho, a trustworthy man and soldier, informed the Jedi Knight.</p><p>"I don't need more security, I need answers. I want to know who's trying to kill me," Senator Amidala took the opportunity to interject.</p><p>"We're here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation," Master Kenobi enlightens her and the Senator can only find herself sighing in defeat.</p><p>"Perhaps with merely your presence the mystery surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now if you'll excuse me I will retire," and so Senator Padmé Amidala left the Jedi alone with Captain Typho to go over security details.</p><p>The assignment was very boring, especially for Anakin. He longed for action, adventure and he could never stand still in one place for too long. He sat on the sofa as the time came near for dusk to fall "This is so boring. I wish the Council had sent someone else, but of all the Jedi <em>you </em>had to the one she befriended."</p><p>"Anakin, be mindful of your thoughts. You are too impatient," he admonished his Padawan who rolled his eyes as soon as his Master looked away.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Master. I just think security is a mission for local authorities, not Jedi. I fear we're a little over-qualified for this assignment,"</p><p>"We might be, but the Chancellor requested that we protect the Senator. I also sense something elusive about this assassination attempt, far too similar to what I sensed on that mission on Naboo; that worries me," Obi-Wan brushed his beard in thought, as he always did.</p><p>"I hope you're wrong, Master. That would mean that the Sith would be behind this… But in order to find out we should investigate. Not stay in this penthouse waiting for things to happen," Anakin huffed in exasperation.</p><p>"Your impatience worries me, Anakin. Answers will come eventually. Why are the security cameras covered?" Obi-Wan asked his Padawan who answered with a shrug of his shoulders.</p><p>"I think she didn't like me watching her. She has an Artoo unit with her programmed to detect intruders".</p><p>"This is very unwise. There are many ways to kill a Senator and not all of them include an intruder. And I have a feeling you are using her as bait," Obi-Wan used an admonishing tone.</p><p>"Hey don't blame me! It was her idea and even though I've known her for only a couple of hours I have a feeling she's the stubborn type. I tried reasoning with her but she wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. Besides, I can sense everything going on in that room," Anakin added with a smug smile.</p><p>"Are your senses that attuned, my young Padawan?" sarcasm poured from Obi-Wan's voice as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.</p><p>"And yours are?"</p><p>"Perhaps…"</p><p>The vibrations of the force shifted for a moment, it was a slight shift but detectable to people as strong in the Force as Anakin and Obi-Wan. They both turned and ran towards the Senator's chambers and Anakin was able to cut the two poisonous kouhuns just before they bite the Senator, causing her to wake in a startle. As he did so, his Master jumped out the window grabbing the droid that transported the vermin into the Senator's room.</p><p>
  <em>Finally Anakin's day was getting a lot better.</em>
</p><p>After a rather long and perilous chase Anakin and his Master caught up with the attempted assassin. They later discovered that she was a changer bounty hunter named Zam Wessel. But Obi-Wan's most intriguing discovery was the poison dart that killed her. It apparently was fabricated in a system called Kamino, just south from the Rishi Maze; a system that did not appear on the Jedi Order's archives.</p><p>An investigation was required, but protection for the Senator was not to be discarded either. And so Anakin received his first assignment on his own. He was to accompany Senator Amidala to Naboo and keep her safe, while his Master discovered the source of the threat on her life by travelling to the location where Kamino was supposed to be.</p><p>Anakin Skywalker was nervous. He was powerful with the Force and he knew it. But he had never gone on a mission unaccompanied before, that would be his first one and he feared to let his Master down. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, knew he was ready to perform his task well even though it was his first mission alone, a rather simple one, or so it seemed. And he was sure he would perform well. Despite his occasional rashness Anakin was a good Jedi, a powerful Jedi and a wise young man, or at least as wise as his young nineteen years old allowed him to be.</p><p>The Senator and her protector travelled as refugees. They didn't want attention upon themselves. With them they took two droids. Padmé's trusted R2D2 unit and the protocol droid Anakin built on his robotics class when he was only eight years old back at the Temple. He named him C3PO. It was a good droid, a little annoying sometimes, but loyal and efficient. It was Anakin's friend and, even though it was property of the Jedi Order and it mainly operated in the cantina area, Anakin was always free to use it for anything he pleased and he decided to take it on his trip with the Senator.</p><p>"We'll be here for a few days…" Senator Amidala commented with a sigh. Naboo is located on the far Mid Rim, bordering the Outer Rim, meaning that the trip from the Core was quite long and tiring, especially in that refugee ship, "We might as well talk a little".</p><p>"What do you want to talk about?" Anakin replied before taking a spoon of food into his mouth and it gained him a shrug from the Senator.</p><p>"What's it like being a Jedi?" she asked after seemingly considering how to actually begin a conversation with a complete stranger. She might have been a Senator, but, when it came to her personal life, sometimes she wasn't the most articulate person. Often she had had trouble relating to people.</p><p>"It's a hard life, I think. But it's the only one I know," he answered with a shrug.</p><p>"How old were you when you went to the Temple?"</p><p>"I was three…"</p><p>"You don't know your parents?" her tone was filled with something that sounded somewhat like pity. Anakin didn't like it but knew better than to show it.</p><p>"I remember my Mother very vaguely. I suppose it worked better this way, considering I was a slave on Tatooine before Master Qui-Gon and Master Obi-Wan took me to the Temple," he purposely left out the tale that Obi-Wan told him when he became a teenager: the tale that says that he has no father at all. He dreadeds to even think of it let alone speak of it, the meaning of that tale was a burden he's not ready to bear as of yet.</p><p>"A slave? That's awful… and Tatooine is a terrible place. I've been there once when the Trade Federation attacked Naboo. We had to ask Coruscant for help because no one was willing to assist us. What a frightful place… all those people thought about was gambling on those frightful podraces. They seemed dreadfully dangerous," she shook her head as she remembered the awful things she went through when she was the Queen of Naboo.</p><p>"Yeah, they are dangerous. I'd love to podrace though; it looks like it would be fun," he snickered.</p><p>"You're far too reckless".</p><p>"So Obi-Wan keeps telling me. And what about you? You were really young when you became Queen," Anakin observed.</p><p>"Yes I was… I was far too young. Thinking back I think I wasn't ready. But I did my best. And now the Queen asked me to serve in the Senate and I couldn't refuse her," she explained.</p><p>"Well sometimes I think the Senate doesn't work very well… they keep talking and talking and nothing gets done. It's so unnerving! I could never be a politician, being a Jedi is much simpler if you ask me".</p><p>"And why is that?" Padmé asks "Being a Jedi doesn't seem easy at all… why would it be easier than to be a Senator?"</p><p>Anakin regarded her for a moment and thought of his answer before he spoke. "Well Jedi do what's right, what we think is right for everyone. We don't drag problems, we're more practical. We meditate on a subject and then make a decision for the best of everyone and we don't do it if we think it's wrong. That's what the Council does. The wisest people decide what's best for people and the Republic and we do it…" he explained.</p><p>"The Senate does the same thing, but the problem is that people don't always agree on everything. And sometimes figuring out what's right and wrong can be much harder than you think. I'm sure the Council feels that way too. You can't always immediately decide what's right and wrong," she smiled.</p><p>"Well we have the Force to guide us and that's a big advantage…"</p><p>"And a big responsibility," Padmé interrupted "you keep talking about the Dark Side of the Force… what if that's the side that's guiding you?"</p><p>"Jedi don't follow the Dark Side, we follow the Light!"</p><p>"How can you tell one from another?"</p><p>"To explain this in simple terms: Light are the good guys and Dark are the bad guys".</p><p>"That's a pretty crude way to put it…" she interjected.</p><p>"It's the truth".</p><p>"What about when it's all grey? Sometimes things are dubious; sometimes you don't know what is the right thing to do, you can’t tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. What do you do then?" she asked.</p><p>Anakin thought for some time and sighed, "I suppose we must do whatever the Force tells us to do".</p><p>"And I suppose you'll always reason that plainly," she rolled her eyes "And besides you're not free to go to the places you want or be with the people you love. At least a Senator is free to do what they want with their lives, unlike a Jedi. So overall I disagree, I think being a Jedi is probably harder than being a Senator," Anakin chuckled with amusement.</p><p>"Jedi learn to have no attachments, Senators don't".</p><p>"You want me to think you're not attached to anything or anyone? I find that very hard to believe. Imagine if you had to leave the Temple… you grew up there, you lived there all your life, so it's basically your home. Wouldn't you miss it? And Obi-Wan? He raised you, trained you… if you lost him wouldn't you miss him? You'd just be ok with it?"</p><p>Anakin furrowed his eyebrows and shuddered at the thought of losing his home and his Master, the only father he's ever had "I don't know how I'd feel. I'd just have to deal with it when it happened. Which it won't… hopefully…" his voice trailed off. The Senator clearly realized she touched a sensitive subject and remained silent, ending their discussion. Sometimes she just didn’t know when to shut up.</p><p>Only a couple of standard days later they arrived on Naboo. Their trip was filled with interesting conversations and lengthy discussions and Padmé ended up being quite fond of her Jedi protector, even though at first she thought him a bit of a brat, she then realized that despite his simplistic views he was much wiser than he appeared to be at first sight. She has also had to remind herself that was at least five years her junior, and ended up attributing his occasional lack of maturity on that fact.</p><p>On Naboo the sun shone brightly illuminating the beautiful cityscape of Theed and after a quick visit to the Queen and to her parents’ house Anakin and Padmé went to a peaceful country retreat in Varykino. Anakin had never been on Naboo before and despite the many travels with his Master he was quite awed by the unusual beauty of that planet. He looked around himself as he stood from the balcony of the house, taking in every detail of the landscape that spread as far as the eye could see.</p><p>"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he merely nodded as a response to Padmé's question. Everything was beautiful there. The buildings of Theed, the people, the gardens and mountains, the beaches, the sea and even the usually annoying sand. But the most unsettling thing is that he found Padmé Amidala beautiful, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. But Anakin set his thoughts aside. He couldn't and most of all he wouldn't. He had a commitment and it was not with any woman in the galaxy, not even an extraordinary woman like Padmé, it was with the Jedi Order, with the Council, with his Master; and he certainly wasn't ready to break it. But the temptation was hard to resist. He had no experience in those matters whatsoever, aside from a few flirtations with a few of the prettiest of his young Padawan companions he had never really felt this way for anyone. But Padmé looked at him in such ways that were quite unsettling. Occasionally, he rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking of how silly he was being. After all they've met less than a standard week ago. But with the Force he sensed her feelings, and no matter how much he tried to ignore the warnings, they only grew as the days went by.</p><p><em>And the warnings of the Force are always right.</em> It was no lie that Padmé's care for Anakin kept growing as the they spent more and more time in each other’s company. She couldn't understand it, she had always been too focused on her work to have time for such involvements. But these days of leisure made her thoughts dwell on places they wouldn't usually. She looked at Anakin carefully; she saw the deep blue of his eyes and his manly features. She felt sensations she wasn't supposed to and she wanted this hiding to last as little as possible. <em>They can't! He's a Jedi… he can't! It's impossible.</em> She tried burying her immature crush and tried to not hope he felt the same, but she couldn't help it. Sometimes when she forgot to try it all returned, the languid gazes during a short silence that were broken when his cheeks blushed bright red. She hoped his awkwardness would make his less appealing but it didn't, on the contrary. It made him look less like a Jedi and more like a human being. Yet she kept trying to ignore it, for both their sakes.</p><p>Not many days after they arrived on the Lake Country Padmé took herself and Anakin to a quiet picnic. As long as she was there, even if it was against her will, she intended to fully enjoy the joys of her childhood summer home. She could use some time alone but knew Anakin would not allow it, obviously for security reasons. However, over the last few days he seemed to be becoming growingly uncomfortable when in her presence. Noticing it, she doubled her efforts to try to shun her feelings.</p><p>The day was progressing well, so well that any embarrassment between them seemed to have dissipated as they engaged in the most trivial conversations. At some point, Anakin seemed quite dazzled by a herd of yellow shaaks that started roaming through the plains of green grass where they had been sitting for the last few hours. He stood to analyze them under the intent gaze of his protected, and in a bold and quite immature move, he decided to try to ride one of the poor defenseless animals. Despite the silliness of the act, it made Padmé laugh as he intrepidly rode the shaak on his feet. The laughing halted as he fell on the floor and didn't seem able to get up. Padmé ran to him in worry, hoping and praying that he wouldn't be seriously hurt. She knelt next to him and he seems to be unconscious. It's not often that Padmé Amidala panics, but she was panicking, and all of a sudden he turned around and laughed hysterically. They playfully rolled around the grass laughing and Padmé landed on top of the Jedi.</p><p>"You scared me!" she said between snickers "I thought you were hurt," instead of answering Anakin kept laughing. But the laughter soon faltered and despite that Padmé did not move from her position. She felt comfortable, she felt safe. As Anakin's stance became more awkward, Padmé's became deeper. She leaned in carefully, closing her eyes. Anakin noticed how her long lashes touched the skin under her eyes. As she slowly leaned in her lips touched his and he closed his eyes too. Nevertheless, as soon as he closed them he opened them again and pushed himself from under Padmé and stood up.</p><p>"I'm sorry!" she pleaded placing her hand in front of her mouth as if she had just realized she had made a big mistake. <em>Had she? She knew she surely had! What a childish mistake!</em></p><p>"It's okay… I-I'm sorry too… I gotta go do… something… you know? Inside? Security…" and as he stammered his words out, he turned and left towards the house completely forgetting his mission.</p><p>Anakin paced back and forth in the quarters that had been given to him upon their arrival in the Lake Country. He ran his hand through his short blond hair and shook his head. <em>What in the galaxy had just happened? Did she actually kiss him?</em> She certainly had and he knew she felt attracted to him, it wasn't hard to see even if he wasn't a Jedi, but she should've known better than that! <em>And he should've known better than to kiss her back!</em> But apparently he didn't and at that moment he longed for the speedy end of that mission, he longed to return to the peace and quiet of the Jedi Temple, where no such things could ever tempt him.</p><p>Should he tell Obi-Wan? He was his Master and Anakin knew he could trust in him unconditionally, but wouldn't this disappoint him? Would he be mad and lecture him for the duration of a galactic standard year? Probably! Would he tell the Council?</p><p>"Oh no, please don't tell the Council…" Anakin muttered to himself as he continued pacing the luxurious room. This mission had turned out to be more troublesome than he expected. He did not love her, he didn't even know what romantic love was, but he surely <em>liked </em>her in a different way. But he couldn't like her, he was a Jedi.</p><p>"Attachments are forbidden, Anakin…" he reminded himself aloud. What was he going to do? He had screwed up royally! His first mission alone and he managed to screw it up!</p><p>
  <em>No wonder why the Council hadn't allowed him to take the trials yet!</em>
</p><p>He needed his Master and he wasn't there. If he was there none of that would've happened in the first place, an opportunity for it to happen wouldn't even have existed. Anakin thought of what to do, he could try to send a message to Obi-Wan to talk about what happened, but he immediately shunned the idea: Obi-Wan had probably more things to worry about than to listen to his crush problems.</p><p>No, that wouldn't do. He would just have to suck it up and complete his mission. He would have to protect a Senator and stop trying to be friends with her. He would stop talking to her and limit himself to watching her from a considerable distance while he patiently waited for Obi-Wan or the Council to order him back to Coruscant. And when he was safe, in the Temple, he would decide what to do about the matter.</p><p>
  <em>Please, let it be soon!</em>
</p><p>For now, he would meditate. Yes, he would release his feelings to the Force has he had been taught to do since his earliest lessons as a youngling in the Jedi Temple. And after that, he could return to his mission, but never before.</p><p>Padmé felt terrible! She shouldn't have done that and she knew it. What had gotten into her? Kissing a Jedi! She was never one to do stupid things, she did bold things, but never stupid things, yet at that moment, she felt like she was the stupidest woman in the galaxy! She had waited for Anakin to disappear from her sight before returning to the ostentatious Varykino mansion, hours had come and gone, and Anakin was nowhere to be found. She was sure he had retreated into his chambers and was probably trying to calm down. She knew she shouldn't but when she saw the panic in his face as soon as he slid from under her kiss she felt so incredibly sorry for him. She could've jeopardized his whole career and that wasn't fair… How could she ever make amends to him? She would leave him be, stay away, no more lengthy conversations and no more political discussions. The solitude of their retreat in Varykino would rise tenfold, but it was the least she could do. She couldn't make the same mistake again, she needed to detach from him not only for his sake but also for her own good. If there was something she was sure she didn't need, it would be a broken heart and an impossible love.</p><p>
  <em>Padmé Amidala decided she would not fall in love with Anakin Skywalker.</em>
</p><p>Things changed considerably after that afternoon. Anakin had returned from his chambers some hours later, looking much calmer. She dared ask him what he had been doing and he simply replied he was meditating. She knew he always did that in the morning, but she thought that after what happened he needed to take some hours to release his concerns.</p><p>She felt alone and bored. She had no one to speak to and nothing to do. She had left her trusted friends and handmaidens in Coruscant, with reliable Sabé taking her place as Senator as she did when she was Queen. Anakin wouldn't even take his meals with her anymore. He would stay out on the balcony most of the day, meditating. During some intervals, he watched the news on the Holonet and made security rounds. Nothing but the most essential words were traded between them. Padmé was longing to return to Coruscant as soon as possible, she even considered trying to contact Master Kenobi to ask how long he predicted his investigation would last, but that would only waste his time.</p><p>But she didn't have to wait too long. Two days after the awkward events on the grass plains she heard a beeping Artoo behind her. Anakin seemed to have heard it too, for he immediately stopped his security check and addressed the small astromech droid.</p><p>"Artoo says he has a message from Obi-Wan," Anakin quickly informed the Senator, and without needing any more words the droid began playing the message.</p><p>The bluish hologram of his Master appeared and he soon started speaking:</p><p>"<em>Anakin, my long range transmitter has been knocked out, retransmit this message to Coruscant".</em></p><p>Anakin started the transmission before resuming his Master's message.</p><p>"<em>I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries in Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Vice-Roy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a… wait… wait…"</em></p><p>Obi-Wan's image disappeared as he began being attacked by droids. Anakin's heart stopped for a second and his first instinct was to leave Naboo and head straight to Geonosis, but before he could even move a muscle the hologram of Master Windu began: <em>"Anakin, we will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority.</em></p><p>"Understood Master," Anakin replied as soon as Master Windu's hologram began fading.</p><p>"They'll never get there in time to save him; they have to come half way across the galaxy!" Amidala reasoned "Look, Geonosis is only a few parsecs away…"</p><p>"If he's still alive," he replied bitterly.</p><p>"Anakin, are you just gonna sit here and let him die? He's your friend, your mentor, yo…"</p><p>"He's like my father!" Anakin yelled "But you heard Master Windu. He gave me strict orders to stay here".</p><p>"He gave you strict orders to protect me and I'm going to help Obi-Wan. If you plan to protect me you'll just have to come along," Anakin smiled as Padmé stood to get ready to go to Theed and embark on her ship.</p><p>
  <em>His Master needed him, and he would come to his aid.</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Battle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The arrival to Geonosis was quick, as predicted Padmé and Anakin were there before any of the Republic ships, they were probably still halfway there as they entered the droid foundry, followed by C3PO and R2D2. Immediately they were attacked by Geonosian troops and as soon as Anakin had his lightsaber destroyed by the heavy droid making machinery, they were even more outgunned then they were to begin with. Anakin did always have the habit of losing his lightsaber at all the most inappropriate times, or so his Master would tell him too often, Anakin thought. As a result, they were soon captured by the Geonosians and led to the execution arena.</p><p>That was quite the spectacle, at least for the Geonosians. The arena was grand and full of eager spectators. Death seemed to be quite the entertainment in that world. The crowd's screams became louder as the two new convicts were announced. Their trial was summary, to say the least; the five minutes that they spent with the Archduke Poggle the Lesser couldn't be considered a trial by any standards other than the judge's himself. They were given the death sentence and were now at the entrance of the arena, waiting for it to be executed.</p><p>Padmé sighed and looked at Anakin. He was quiet, perhaps trying to device some sort of plan. Yes, certainly he was trying to figure out a way of ridding them of such a fate.</p><p>
  <em>It could not end like this, could it? What if it did?</em>
</p><p>All she had to say would be left unspoken, and despite the decision she had made on Naboo, Padmé was not willing to take that risk.</p><p>"I can't face this without telling you something," she started, making Anakin divert his eyes to her direction "I love you, before we die I want you to know," Anakin's only reaction was to close his eyes; he had been left speechless.</p><p>
  <em>What could he say?</em>
</p><p>He thought about it for a moment. It felt right saying it back and since the likeliness of actually dying in that arena was high, what harm could it bring? But, on the other hand, Anakin never liked to live his life respecting odds. If they survived this, the consequences of his declaration could be graver than he would ever care to admit.</p><p>After pondering Anakin opened his eyes and looked at Padmé intently. He took a deep breath as he made his decision, the <em>right </em>decision, or so he hoped.</p><p>"Padmé, I will not lie and say I wouldn't like to tell you the same. But we will not die… not today at least, and you know that it's impossible, this is a path we can't take because we both know it would lead to nowhere". Saying these words hurt Anakin, he felt like he was stabbing himself in the heart and the sad look on her face only made it seem that the dagger was being buried deeper within him. Nevertheless, he knew that was the right thing to do, he knew there was nothing else he <em>could</em> do. He had been a Jedi all his life and that was what he had been born to do; he would not throw it away.</p><p>Padmé looked away from him as they began being led to the center of the arena. She felt embarrassed, ashamed. She felt childish and stupid. What was she expecting? He was a Jedi and he could never be with her. Even though she was facing certain death, she could not take her mind off the words Anakin had just told her. At least he really wanted to say the same: he loved her too, he just wouldn't admit it. Padmé felt a sadness growing in her, but simultaneously she felt some sort of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off her. It was impossible and she knew it from the beginning, it would destroy them, it would eventually break both their hearts, there was no doubt about that and because of it, her sorrow was replaced with an odd kind of satisfaction: the satisfaction of knowing they would be able to <em>be </em>without each other. Padmé smiled slightly right before she was tied to the pole in the middle of the execution arena.</p><p>Obi-Wan, already firmly shackled, looked disapprovingly at his young Padawan as he arrived. He narrowed his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>What in the blazes is he doing here?</em>
</p><p>"I was beginning to wonder if you got my message," he started.</p><p>"I retransmitted it just as you had requested, Master. Then we decided to come and rescue you…"</p><p>"Good job!"</p><p>Poggle the Lesser stood on the balcony accompanied by Count Dooku. They looked quite proud of themselves, especially the latter. One would think a former Jedi would have some care for the Order that raised him since he was a baby. Apparently not. He was quite pleased with himself as his Geonosian companion gave the order for the executions to begin.</p><p>The execution of two Jedi and a Senator of the Galactic Republic; an execution carried away without any kind of proper trial. A clear and unashamed attack to the Republic itself. A declaration of war!</p><p>That is what it was and Obi-Wan knew it. This entire situation troubled him deeply. He didn't even have to eavesdrop on Count Dooku's conversations before he was captured; this act alone was enough to know that these people clearly wanted to provoke the Republic into starting a war. Yet another galaxy-wide war that no one knew how would end, or when: before them were years of pain, sorrow and death. That was what war was and Obi-Wan was painfully aware of it. It was not glamorous or exciting. It was chaos and grief. And that army he had discovered in Kamino, how had that come to be? How could the Jedi Order overlook such an enormity? However, they had, because the Dark Side clouds everything and it had been hovering over them for much longer than Obi-Wan would care to admit and they could hardly even see it. He felt like a failure! Ten years had passed by and the other Sith Lord had not been discovered yet. They even allowed themselves to believe for some time that there was no other, that maybe the one he killed had not taken an apprentice yet, or maybe even killed his Master. They, the Jedi, had become over confident and too sure of themselves and this Sith Lord had been able to take the better of them for the past ten years.</p><p>
  <em>Obi-Wan Kenobi had failed! The Jedi Order had failed! And because of their failure, a war was beginning…</em>
</p><p>Anakin watched as the three creatures were released and approached them. He suddenly felt afraid. He had been in dangerous situations before but, for some reason, he felt that this time it was graver. He did not know why, it was not the situation itself that caused that fear within him, it was something else, something further away, something evil. He felt it through the Force and the Force had never lied to him before. However, he knew that if he were to survive this he had to concentrate on what was happening.</p><p>"<em>Be mindful of the future, but never at the expense of the moment," </em>his Master always said to him. One of the last lessons he had learned from his own Master, a quite wise one to be sure. Therefore, he struggled to pull away that feeling, and he was able to, at least to a certain extent.</p><p>He recognized those creatures only from his studies at the Temple; he had never seen them face to face before: a nexu, a reek and an acklay. They were completely different from each other, except on two aspects: they were all equally ugly and they were all equally deadly.</p><p>"I have a bad feeling about this…" he finally voiced his concern. His Master said nothing immediately. Anakin took a deep breath as he saw them approaching them. The things looked like they had starved for weeks.</p><p>"Just relax, concentrate," Obi-Wan advised sensing his Padawan's anxiety.</p><p>"What about Padmé?" Anakin asked, finally remembering that the Senator was with them. Even if he didn't feel a special fondness for her, which he obviously did, he couldn't avoid worrying. Protecting her was his mission, after all.</p><p>"She seems to be on top of things," Obi-Wan replied making Anakin look her way. She had freed one of her hands from the metallic binders with a hairpin and was climbing to the top of the pole. If he wasn't in such a big pile of bantha's poodoo he would've laughed at his Master's joke. He never lost his sense of humor.</p><p>Seeing the Senator in a safe spot helped Anakin concentrate on his own rescue. He soon set his chains free from the pole and was riding one of the creatures, after calming it with the help of the Force, taking Padmé and his Master with him.</p><p>That part was easy. And now what? There was no possible way of leaving that arena. Anakin studied all the exits, all the possible solutions. He encountered nothing but obstacles on their way. There were too many guards on each exit, too many Geonosians around them, a bounty hunter and Count Dooku. There was no way they would leave that place: they were three against Force knows how many. Suddenly, Anakin's hope was restored. A purple blade shone right in front of Dooku's throat and hundreds of lightsabers began igniting across the arena.</p><p>A fellow Jedi threw two lightsabers to himself and his Master enabling them to free themselves from their restraints and to start fighting the thousands of battle droids that began surrounding them.</p><p>
  <em>The battle of Geonosis had begun…</em>
</p><p>Many Jedi's lives had been taken already, they were terribly outnumbered and Count Dooku knew it. They had lost, or so Anakin thought. Suddenly gunships filled with soldiers in white armors began landing around them, on one of them stood Master Yoda. Anakin didn't know where those soldiers came from but at that moment that really didn't matter. The three of them ran inside one of the gunships that immediately took off.</p><p>It was always like that: every single time they thought they had been defeated someone or something would come to their rescue. Anakin and his Master had always lived standing with half their feet off that edge, and even though it wasn't always pleasant, they had always managed to stay alive. This time was no exception.</p><p>It was Anakin who noticed Dooku speeding past them; he immediately ordered the troops to shoot him down but to no avail, for they soon ran out of rockets to fire. They kept pursuing him but they were under attack and their gunship was hit, causing the Senator to fall onto the reddish sand of the Geonosian desert.</p><p>"Get the ship down," Anakin yelled.</p><p>"Anakin, don't let your personal feelings get in the way," he admonished his Padawan "Follow that speeder!"</p><p>Anakin took a deep breath to try to calm himself down. His Master was right. The Senator would be safe and the most important thing was to get Dooku. They could finish this war as soon right then started if they captured him.</p><p>"Yes, Master…" he replied in a low voice, yet loud enough for his Master to hear him. He looked at his Padawan and nodded his head. It was often that this was the only sign of approval Anakin would get from his Master, but it was quite enough. To anyone it would seem cold and dismissive, but Anakin knew him long enough to know it meant appreciation. His Master was grateful that he made the right decision.</p><p>They soon landed on the hangar right behind the Count. They entered with their lightsabers ignited. Anakin was angry, he was furious. So many Jedi had been killed in that arena, it was Dooku's fault, and he could not let him get away with it.</p><p>"You're gonna pay for all the Jedi that you killed today, Dooku," the Padawan warned his enemy.</p><p>"We'll take him together; you're going slowly on the left…" Obi-Wan started but young Skywalker didn't even give him time to devise any kind of strategy, for he attacked Dooku on his own, with all his anger fueling him. He would pay for all he had done to the Jedi, he would taste the flavor of revenge, and he would die by Anakin's hand. That was what was on his mind; that was what drove him. Despite his Master's warnings behind him Anakin didn't stop himself, he attacked the Sith Lord with all he had and then he was beaten, with a raise of the Dark Lord's hand, he was completely and utterly beaten; thrown to the side of the room. The Force lightning struck him without him even being able to foresee it, it had been so fast, so unexpected. The pain was indescribable; Anakin could hear someone screaming but could not recognize his own voice. It was as if he was being burnt from the inside out and there was nothing he could do to defend himself. He fell half-unconscious on the floor.</p><p>Obi-Wan knew that Count Dooku was a fierce warrior; he had been his Master's Master. He had heard tales of him, of his strength, his power, his efficiency. He knew he was flawless with his lightsaber, and the Force could overcome any difficulty that a normal man would develop as age advanced. Obi-Wan knew that alone he could not defeat the fallen Jedi but he was not a man who gave up that easily.</p><p>"As you see my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now… back down," Dooku warned, needlessly. He used Force Lightning against Obi-Wan, who gracefully took it with his lightsaber.</p><p>"I don't think so," he announced.</p><p>The Sith Lord drew his lightsaber and ignited it. The battle had begun. Obi-Wan was the first to attack but the Count was able to defend himself from all his strikes.</p><p>"Master Kenobi you disappoint me, Yoda held you in such high esteem…" he taunted, ignored by Obi-Wan as the battle continued "Surely you can do better" he continued, an evil smirk drawing on his aged lips. Obi-Wan kept attacking and as soon as the Count encountered an opportunity he wounded the Jedi Knight on the arm and leg, making him fall. He raised his lightsaber to Obi-Wan, ready to strike him down, but before he could do it Anakin's lightsaber intercepted his.</p><p>The pain was terrible but he had to overcome it, he tried again and again but he could not. Nevertheless, right then, at that precise moment – when he knew his Master was going to be killed, ruthlessly murdered as he lied wounded on the floor unable to defend himself – no pain mattered. Hence, he jumped and he saved his Master from certain death.</p><p>"Brave of you boy. I would've thought you had learned your lesson," Dooku remarked. Anakin thought he spoke too much, but replied nonetheless.</p><p>"I am a slow learner…"</p><p>Anakin received the lightsaber his Master sent him. He was calmer now, able to devise a strategy and see the flaws on his opponent's style, but there weren't enough flaws. Even with the advantage of fighting with two weapons against one, he could not find an opening. Dooku was skilled, much more than Anakin had anticipated. So skilled that one of his lightsabers was soon disposed by Count Dooku's. Anakin still had one though, so the battle continued. It was hard though, Dooku's style was meticulous, it was graceful and refined. It didn't matter how much Anakin searched for a flaw, it never happened. He was unblemished, nearing perfection. He was also calmer than Anakin. Young Skywalker was fighting with passion, but even though he had always been taught that a Sith draws power from his emotions, he knew his opponent was fighting with wit. Soon, the flaw came from where Anakin didn't wish: it came from himself. His offensive style, while powerful, also had disadvantages. A failed strike, a moment without defense, and Count Dooku was merciless. He didn't even bother to strike his lightsaber for minimum damage; instead he cut his scarlet blade right through his arm.</p><p>Obi-Wan's body softened Anakin's fall. He was glad he was there because the pain was already unbearable, so unbearable that he immediately lost consciousness.</p><p>Count Dooku retrieved his blade, but the sound of Master Yoda's gimer stick echoing throughout the silent hangar was unmistakable; Obi-Wan knew it well, as did Dooku. The latter immediately turned to face his new opponent, a seemingly harmless one, but one he was sure he could not beat. Master Yoda was a powerful Jedi, the Force ran strong through him, and he had perfected its use to a level that the Sith Lord's skills could not compete with, not yet at least.</p><p>"Master Yoda…"</p><p>"Count Dooku…"</p><p>"You have interfered with our affairs for the last time," Dooku said, trying to look sure of himself and succeeding. A battle of the Force began. With it, Dooku threw objects at the old Jedi Master, but Yoda avoided them with no difficulty.</p><p>"Powerful you have become Dooku. The Dark Side I sense in you," Yoda says.</p><p>"I've become more powerful than any Jedi! Even you," the Sith announces proudly before sending Force Lightning on Yoda's way. To his surprise, the Jedi took it in his hand and threw it to the ceiling. He tried again and realized it could go on to be a never-ending fight as the Jedi absorbed the Lightning in his hand until it disappeared.</p><p>"Much to learn, you still have,"</p><p>"It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force… but by our skills with a lightsaber," he said as he ignited his crimson blade once again, to clash against Yoda's sapphire one. Their fight was quick and graceful, but Dooku knew he was running out of time. With Yoda as his opponent and Republic troops approaching the hangar, he knew he would not survive this encounter.</p><p>"Fought well you have, my young Padawan," Yoda said, knowing as well as the Sith Lord that his time was running out.</p><p>"This is just the beginning," he responded before using the Force to drop a large power column on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, knowing that Yoda would do all to save them. And so he did, using the Force the Grand Master of The Jedi Order diverted the column saving both the Knight and the Padawan. As the coward he was, Dooku took the opportunity to flee.</p><p>Anakin woke up. He opened his eyes to realize all around him was white and the stench of bacta invaded his nostrils.</p><p>"Are you alright?" he heard the familiar voice asking.</p><p>"Are we back at the Temple?" Anakin asked. He noticed his voice was caught in his throat and coughed to clear it, finally looking at his Master.</p><p>"Yes, we've been brought to the Healers. Are you feeling alright?" Anakin nodded his response. Finally, his mind was becoming clearer; he must have been under the effect of drugs, because everything was coming so slowly. He remembered he had to fight Count Dooku, he cringed as he remembered when he was struck with Force Lightning, his heart sank as he remembered his Master almost being killed by the Count and then, then he remembered his arm. Dooku had cut it off. He closed his eyes again; he didn't feel like he could look at it just yet. He had to make sure it really wasn't there. With his left hand, he reached for it, but instead of feeling nothing, or of feeling flesh, he felt something cold, metallic.</p><p>"They replaced it with a prosthetic arm. It's very advanced, they say," Obi-Wan said as he watched his young Padawan. Anakin finally opened his eyes to look at it. It looked ugly, it was silver and the tips of the fingers were golden. He flexed his fingers and it seemed to work well despite the mechanical sounds it made. He would have to cover that up somehow. He landed his new arm on his stomach and noticed that he could feel the sheet that was covering him.</p><p>"It has touch sensors," he said to no one in particular.</p><p>"Yes, they said it would take some time for you to adapt but that you'll be fine," Anakin closed his eyes again. He felt tired, very tired. It seemed it had all been just a few minutes ago, it was all too fresh in his mind.</p><p>"How long have I been out?" he asked his Master.</p><p>"For about two days, you were in the bacta tank and they performed the surgery on your arm just a few hours ago," Anakin nodded and fell silent. He didn't know what to say, what could he say? He felt bad; he had not behaved like a good Jedi, he had not conducted himself as he should have. He opened his eyes again with some difficulty, but it couldn't wait.</p><p>"I'm sorry Master…" he began.</p><p>"Anakin, please rest. We don't need to speak right now…" Obi-Wan interrupted him.</p><p>"No, I want to talk now Master. I want to apologize to you, I allowed my anger to get the better of me and I shouldn't have, I'm a terrible Jedi…"</p><p>"That's not true, Anakin. The mere fact that you were able to recognize your mistake makes you a very good Jedi. You are human, Anakin and I know you strive for perfection, but it will not happen. Now please, rest. I need you up and running as soon as possible," Obi-Wan ran a soothing hand through Anakin's forehead, who gave his Master a small smile just before he fell asleep again.</p><p>Obi-Wan was in their shared quarters when his Padawan finally arrived from the Halls of Healing, after a week of treatments. The small apartment was simple: it consisted of two small sleeping chambers, a kitchen and living room, with only a small table and a small refresher. They had shared those quarters for the past ten years, they were the same quarters Obi-Wan had shared with his own Master. As soon as he arrived, Anakin flopped down on the small sofa without exchanging any words with his Master. He brought his mechanical hand to the reach of his gaze and started observing it. Obi-Wan noticed he seemed more comfortable with it now than he did when he woke up hours after his surgery.</p><p>"It sort of makes me look cool, somehow…" he remarked, causing Obi-Wan to release a small chuckle "I have get a glove to cover it, I don't want to scare the younglings," he continued.</p><p>"I don't think the younglings get scared that easily, but if it makes you feel better then you should," Anakin shrugged and retrieved his metallic hand to his lap. Obi-Wan noticed his apprentice looked contemplative, the smile that just moments before was adorning his features was now gone and he could easily sense his discomfort through the Force.</p><p>"Is something troubling you?" the Master asked and Anakin shrugged yet again.</p><p>"We didn't get a chance to talk since we left Coruscant".</p><p>"Is there something you want to speak of?" Anakin nodded but said nothing. Obi-Wan felt tempted to search his mind, but knew Anakin would not allow it. Furthermore, he trusted him, so he knew he would tell him what was happening eventually. He decided he should press him a little further "Anakin, if you don't talk to me, I can't help you".</p><p>"I know," Anakin sighed and took a deep breath before speaking again, "I feel conflicted, Master".</p><p>"Conflicted? Why?" Anakin brushed his face with his left hand as he gained courage to tell his Master all the events that had occurred on Naboo. He feared his reaction, he wasn't sure he could take it, but hiding it from him was doing quite a number on him. He was a secretive person by nature, except with his Master. Never before had he been hesitant of telling his Master anything; he trusted him completely, but this was so serious, he had messed up and now he'd have to deal with it, whether he wanted it or not. He finally gathered his courage.</p><p>"Master, something happened on Naboo…" his voice trailed off as his resolve drifted.</p><p>"Continue," Obi-Wan instructed.</p><p>"Well… The Senator and I, we spent a lot of time together, you know? She… she was really nice to me. Then when we got to Naboo, she was like, <em>really </em>nice, <em>too </em>nice. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't do anything about it. I just thought the mission would be over soon and that was it. But then, there was this one day, just a couple of days before I got your message, we were playing around and all – nothing bad, I swear! – but she was really close to me and… and… you know…" Anakin began stammering as his cheeks blushed to a deep crimson tone.</p><p>"No, I don't know. Why don't you elaborate?"</p><p>"Aw come on Master, don't make me say it…" he whined.</p><p>"You did it; you can certainly say it,"</p><p>"See? I knew I shouldn't have told you, I'll never hear the end of his! You're gonna be lecturing me for years! Oh boy…"</p><p>"Just tell me what happened, Anakin!" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at his Padawan's complaints.</p><p>"It's not like it was anything serious! We sort of… you know… kissed…" the last word came in a low whisper as Anakin reached to cover his eyes with his hand. His Master looked at him and he felt like laughing. For a moment he believed Anakin was going to tell him he and the Senator had been sexually involved, considering the redness of his cheeks one would think it was definitely it. However, when Anakin said the word "kissed" Obi-Wan felt an amusement that he was barely able to contain. Yet he did, because he had to. Of course, he had to have a conversation with his Padawan, but he would not lecture him. This was far less serious than his apprentice supposed.</p><p>"So you kissed? That's all?" Anakin nodded without facing his Master, "Anakin, the Code forbids attachments and as long as you didn't forge an attachment with the Senator there is no problem. It just happened. I honestly thought you had kissed other girls before" Obi-Wan finally let lose the chuckle that was caught in his throat.</p><p>"I didn't… I mean I did, but…"</p><p>"But?"</p><p>"But it was different this time… I don't know. In Geonosis she told me she loved me, Master," Anakin confessed.</p><p>"And what did you tell her?" all the amusement in Obi-Wan was finally gone. He had been in love before, when he was still a Padawan and he even left the Order temporarily. He doubted he would ever have returned if she hadn't died. The Jedi Order very seriously reproves attachments and he hoped Anakin could let go of his. He hadn't told him yet, but Obi-Wan knew him too well, he had taken care of him for most of his life, since he brought him to the Temple and he wasn't mistaken. This wasn't just a kiss: this was a real attachment.</p><p>"I told her it was impossible, because I'm a Jedi. But Master, I like her… and… I don't know what to do… What can I do, Master?" Anakin's frustration was more than evident and Obi-Wan felt at a loss for words. He knew a broken heart and that was the most terrible feeling.</p><p>"Anakin, you are a Jedi, you have a commitment to the Order and you have sworn an oath. If you wish to stay with the Order, than you must honor the Code; however, if you feel you cannot honor it, you have the choice to leave…" Anakin finally looked at his Master with bug eyes.</p><p>"Leave the Order? Are you saying I should just leave?"</p><p>"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you have a choice, that if you feel that you cannot honor the Code you <em>should </em>leave," he corrected the Padawan.</p><p>"No, I will not leave the Order! I can't do that!"</p><p>"Then you cannot be with Padmé,"</p><p>"I know, Master. I know I can't be with her. That's not the point! The point is that I have feelings for her. I will not pursue them, I won't! I can promise you that! But… what do I do? With these feelings I have? I feel so lost, Master. I don't know what I can do… it pained me to tell her that we couldn't be together and it still does, but I was truthful. I made that decision and I'm not turning back. But… what do I do now?" the disturbance in Anakin's voice rose with every word.</p><p>"Anakin," said Obi-Wan as he sat next to his Padawan and landed an assuring hand on his shoulder, "I know it's hard and it will be hard," Anakin was already familiar with his Master's youthful indiscretions, actually the whole Order spoke of it, so he knew he understood, "but you must train yourself to let go".</p><p>"How?" he questioned simply.</p><p>"With time, patience, maturity, meditation and I am quite positive you will succeed. Sometimes you forget you are human, Anakin. You forgot it when you apologized to me for what happened on Geonosis, but you must understand that you cannot be perfect, you will never be perfect; and throughout your life, you will have to struggle to overcome these imperfections. Not that falling in love is an imperfection at all, but you are a man before you are a Jedi and Jedi have the same feelings as other men. We just need to control them better. However don't think that you will never experience conflict again after you overcome this, for you will; and it will always be hard to overcome, but if you follow the right path you will always be able to, I am sure of it," Anakin snorted at his Master's response.</p><p>"You trust me <em>that </em>much, Master?"</p><p>"I do Anakin, I trust you unconditionally and I know you will never let me down,"</p><p>"Isn't that some sort of attachment?"</p><p>"It is, but didn't I just tell you that you'd always have attachments and conflicts of some sort? I am attached to you as you are to me. You are like my son, I love you like my own son and I know you love me like your father. The question is, will you ever be able to let go of me if the time comes? And the same question applies to Senator Amidala. Every men loves, but as a Jedi you must be able to sacrifice my life in order to save others. That's the difference between Jedi and other people…"</p><p>"Would you, Master? Would you sacrifice my life to save others?"</p><p>"I don't know, Anakin. We will see it if ever the time comes. Now come, we have to report to the Council. They're sending us on an assignment tomorrow, after all we have a war to fight," Anakin nodded. He felt better after speaking to his Master, he always did. Somehow, it was all going to be alright and if even for just a few moments, Anakin believed in it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Compliments And Padawans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Master Skywalker, how good it is to see you!" the Chancellor greeted.</p><p>"Thank you, it's good to see you too Chancellor. I was told you wanted to see me?" Anakin replied as he entered the sumptuous office that Chancellor Palpatine redecorated as soon as his mandate began almost eleven years before.</p><p>"I must admit that my purpose when I invited you here was completely selfish. I heard you were on leave for a short time and I had to congratulate you," Palpatine smiled at Anakin.</p><p>"Congratulate me?"</p><p>"Well of course! You were Knighted recently and I hadn't had the opportunity to speak to you,"</p><p>"Oh, that; of course. Thank you, your Excellency," young Skywalker bowed respectfully, "though your motive isn't selfish at all".</p><p>"It must be quite the honor to become a Jedi Knight, and I must admit I was rooting for you. Your deeds in the war have been quite spectacular. You are one of the most  talented Jedi I have ever met, if not the most talented,"</p><p>"I thank you for the compliment Chancellor, but Jedi work as a whole. You can't give me credit and take it from them," Anakin said it with a smile, but it always felt odd to him when Palpatine addressed him in such a way, "Besides, I doubt war is good way of gaining honor, I would much rather being honored by bringing peace".</p><p>"You are wise indeed, I wish we could end this war right now. But with General Grievous and Count Dooku alive it is quite impossible," Palpatine observed.</p><p>"Believe me Chancellor, the first priority of the Jedi Order is capturing them. No one wishes peace more than the Jedi, we are peacekeepers after all".</p><p>"Indeed you are, and I have full trust on the abilities of the Jedi, especially on yours," a sincere smile spread across the face of the Chancellor. Anakin stood silent for a few moments and then cleared his throat.</p><p>"Please forgive me your Excellency, but I have pressing business at the Temple. I should be going unless there is something else you would like to speak to me about," Anakin said. For some reason that could not yet explain, he was feeling uncomfortable. The less time he spent in that room, the better.</p><p>"Please forgive me for taking up so much of your time, Anakin. I really just wanted to congratulate you. Thank you for coming to see me in such a short notice. I'm sure you're quite busy," the Chancellor told him.</p><p>"It was no trouble at all, Sir, I am always at your disposal," Anakin left with a bow of his head. He walked through the corridors of the Senate building as he thought of the strange reason the Chancellor had for dragging him out of the Jedi Temple during his leave. He wasn't the first Jedi to have been bestowed Knighthood since the Clone Wars had begun, but as far as he knew the Chancellor never congratulated any of them personally. He knew the leader of the Senate had a soft spot for him, he never made a point of hiding it, but what he didn't understand was why. And there was one lesson he had certainly learned from his Master: never trust a politician. To that lesson he was always going to remain faithful, especially when it came to the Chancellor. Anakin understood the reason why the Senate had decided to extend his mandate and yet it didn't make him feel any more comfortable, especially since the Senate was already planning to vote him more emergency powers.</p><p>Anakin's train of thought broke suddenly, when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. For the last half year, every time he had been on Coruscant he had tried his best to avoid her, but he was so distracted with his own thoughts about the Republic that he couldn't even sense her approaching. Therefore, he did the only thing he could do: he turned to respond.</p><p>"Padmé, how are you?" he asked as he stopped in the middle of the wide and long corridor; he looked at the woman he was not able to let go of yet. He swallowed dry before she responded.</p><p>"I am well. And you?" she smiled, she seemed genuinely pleased to see him.</p><p>"Well, I'm alright I suppose. War is never easy…" Anakin shrugged. He didn't know why he had said that, telling her he was alright would've made that conversation much shorter. Yet he found himself being honest with her.</p><p>"Yes, this dreadful war," her expression fell "I can't believe I wasn't here to try to stop the Military Creation Act. So much time working on it, for nothing," she sighed in defeat.</p><p>"Considering the events on Geonosis I feel there wasn't much you could've done, Senator. At least you still have your life," he mused and she knew he was right. After what happened months before was no possibility of her or anyone else convincing the Senate that an army was unnecessary.</p><p>"Yes, I suppose that's true…" she trailed off "I heard you are a Knight now," she changed the subject after a short silence.</p><p>"You and everyone, apparently. News travels fast," he chuckled.</p><p>"Of course they do. The Holonet loves you!"</p><p>"I'd rather they didn't…"</p><p>"They are quite a nuisance sometimes, you and Master Kenobi are quite the team according to them," Padmé giggled.</p><p>"Don't listen to then, I'm sure they make way too much of it".</p><p>"I doubt it, honestly. I have no doubt that you're an amazing Jedi… and Master Kenobi of course…" Anakin felt awkward. He hadn't seen her much after Geonosis and even though he was enjoying their little chatter, compliments only made him want this meeting to end.</p><p>"Senator, please forgive me, Master Yoda is expecting me at the Temple. I must hurry," he said.</p><p>"Yes, you don't want to keep him waiting. It was good to see you again, Master Skywalker," she felt herself blush even though she didn't understand why. Or maybe she did and she just didn't want to think of it. Being around him was just intoxicating. She wondered if he felt the same as he walked away after excusing himself. The Senator stood and watched him leave, she noticed the new scar over his eye and she worried about him. She wanted to have asked him how it had happened but refrained. Yes, distance was the best course of action, and even though it was, she couldn't stop the impulse of calling after him as soon as she saw him wandering the Senate's corridors. She sighed wondering what it could have been before returning to her office and burying herself with work again; but that day, not even work could stop her from thinking of Anakin Skywalker.</p><p>Anakin entered the meditation room where Master Yoda was expecting him. But before he did he closed his eyes and shook all the thoughts of Padmé Amidala from his mind, he couldn't risk the wise Master entering his thoughts and knowing all the things he didn't want anyone to know. Not a day went by that he didn't think of her, there were days, especially after battles, that he almost couldn't resist the urge of leaving and go seek comfort in her arms. He wondered often what it would be like to hold her one more time, but he had made the decision of letting go and he would, one day. His love for her would never be nothing but platonic. Most days he was okay with that, but some he wished he had the freedom to be with her. he finally cleared his mind.</p><p>He didn't know the reason why Master Yoda had called him for but he knew he was late and he never liked when people were late. The call from the Chancellor had been unexpected though and he couldn't have refused to go see him. He gazed at Master Yoda who seemed to be deep in meditation and took a seat in front of him, as soon as he did Yoda opened his eyes and regarded him.</p><p>"You wanted to see me, Master?" Anakin asked.</p><p>"Late you are young Skywalker," Yoda said.</p><p>"Forgive me, Master. I had a call from the Senate and the Chancellor requested my presence. I thought I would be here in time, but I was… delayed…" he thought of his brief conversation with Padmé but soon shunned it off again. Knowing the old Jedi Master he would certainly pick up on it and that's the last thing Anakin wanted.</p><p>"Request your presence the Chancellor did? For what?" Yoda seemed curious.</p><p>"Actually Master I found it very strange. He wanted to congratulate me for becoming a Knight, and called me there specifically for that. Maybe I'm just being paranoid though, but the Chancellor seems to always be trying to get on my good side," Anakin shrugged his shoulders as he replied to the Master.</p><p>"Interesting, that is. Meditate on his reasons, I will".</p><p>"Thank you, Master. If you find an explanation for his behavior that I haven't I would like to know," the young man smiled "but why did you call me here, Master?"</p><p>"Become a Knight you have, a student you must take," the old Master spoke bluntly in his odd sort of grammar, taking Skywalker completely by surprise.</p><p>"You want me to take a Padawan?" Anakin asked not being able to hide his surprise and Yoda only nodded in response. "But Master, isn't it too soon? And bringing a child to war? I have some reservations…"</p><p>"To help prepare the next generation a Jedi's duty is, your duty is".</p><p>"I know, Master. But do you actually believe I'm ready to take a Padawan?"</p><p>"Ready you are, young Skywalker".</p><p>"But who, Master?"</p><p>"Several younglings, prepared to begin training are. Come with me to see them you will, and among them a Padawan you will select," he explained as he began standing and heading for the corridors of the great Temple. Anakin followed. The walk to their destination was slow, Master Yoda took his steps unhurriedly with support of his gimer stick and Anakin actually had to stop regularly so that the small and aged Master could keep up with him. He wished he had brought his hover chair; that would've made their trip much quicker.</p><p>Master Yoda eventually led him to the corridors where several rooms served for the younglings to take their studies: there were rooms for lightsaber classes, for Force skills lessons, robotics, laboratories and general classrooms for miscellaneous studies like languages, math and even literature. It was a whole sector of the Temple dedicated to that alone. The Master began showing Anakin the several younglings who he deemed ready to begin training as Padawans. Almost silently, he told Anakin of each one of their skills and traits. Anakin thought it amazing how the old Master was able to know every singly youngling so well, just as he knew every member of the Jedi Order. He had been there for hundreds of years and somehow, he was a Master to every Jedi, he taught them all something, he gave lessons to all of them and Anakin remembered his own experiences as a youngling with Master Yoda. He was a patient and good teacher and the memories made Anakin smile.</p><p>They had observed a few of the younglings and they were yet to catch Anakin's attention. They stopped at a door; two younglings were sparring under the supervision of Master Windu. Yoda said nothing. Anakin watched them for some time and soon enough one of the younglings was in clear advantage. He had a pristine technique, quite above the average for his age.</p><p>"He's good," Anakin said.</p><p>"Good he is, and most eager to become <em>your </em>Padawan,"</p><p>"You mean he's trying to impress me?" Anakin chuckled. Yoda ignored the humor and nodded in response.</p><p>"What's his name?" the Knight asked.</p><p>"Eremin Tarn," Master Yoda replied. Anakin kept observing him but he wasn't sure, the boy was good with a lightsaber but choosing a Padawan was very important decision. He decided to watch him for a little while longer to try to make up his mind. There was something about that boy that Anakin didn't like, he didn't know what exactly, but there was something odd. He observed him and the more time it passed the stronger that feeling became.</p><p>"NO!", Anakin heard coming from the room behind him making his attention shift. The door was wide open, so Anakin turned to see what was happening. He stood at the door as Master Yoda followed him.</p><p>"I wouldn't do that at all," the same voiced continued. It came from a human youngling, a girl, slightly younger than the others Master Yoda had took him to see "your forces would all be destroyed in a matter of minutes," she continued but was soon interrupted by one of her companions.</p><p>"Oh yeah smart ass? What would you do then?" she rolled her eyes and pointed at the strategy map they had in front of them.</p><p>"You see these cannons here? While you don't destroy them you have no chance. With these troops here I'd create a diversion, and I'd hide two squadrons here, on each flank" she pointed "I'd send a stealth team back here to put charges on the cannons and destroy them, the diversion would take their attention away from them. And once they were destroyed I'd attack here and here and get it over with," she finished with a smug smile.</p><p>"Isn't that a little risky?" Anakin asked as he finally entered the room, making all the younglings look at him and the young blonde girl blush ten shades of red. She cleared her throat before speaking again.</p><p>"Perhaps Master, but there is no other way. They don't have many infantry troops here, if you destroy the cannons they have to retreat," she explained and Anakin looked at the map nodding his head.</p><p>"Many men could he lost at the diversion site…" he observed.</p><p>"Many more men would be lost if we went on a full front attack. And with the cannons we could never attack them from the flanks. It is a risk but I believe it's worth taking…" she said, her resolve growing at every word. She was young to be sure, but she seemed quite sure of herself.</p><p>"I agree with you, but there's always the chance that your stealth team wouldn't be able to cross their lines,"</p><p>"Yes Master, but see here, there's a flaw in their defenses, it would be a good place for the team to enter, it's still a risk, but the best option by far," she stood by her opinion.</p><p>"Well I always like people who are willing to take risks…"</p><p>"Too many risks Master Skywalker always takes," Yoda told the younglings who couldn't help but to enter a fit of giggles and Anakin couldn't help it any more than them "Continue," the old Master told the younglings as he led Skywalker out of the room and back to the Temple corridors.</p><p>"What's her name?" he asked.</p><p>"Jeswi Ele,"</p><p>"Hmm…"</p><p>"Too young to begin a Padawan's training she is," Yoda said, as if he was reading Anakin's thoughts.</p><p>"How old is she?" he asked slightly annoyed. She didn't look <em>that </em>young.</p><p>"Eleven,"</p><p>"Come on Master, I started at nine! I don't think she's too young. If you want me to take a Padawan I'll take her,"</p><p>"Quite impressive young Tarn was,"</p><p>"Not as impressive as her! She's not too young Master! I wouldn't put her in harm's way, Master, if that's what you're worried about. And if you still insist she's too young I'll wait for one or two years to train her," Anakin persisted.</p><p>"Stubborn you are! Of that you do not need!" Yoda said with annoyance before sighing "Your Padawan young Jeswi Ele is, report to you tonight she will," he accepted and walked away leaving Anakin standing in the hallway. He couldn't believe he actually had taken a Padawan. He shook his head and walked towards his quarters.</p><p>"<em>My Master will never believe this!"</em></p><p>Anakin walked slowly to his quarters, he wasn't sure his decision to take a Padawan was the best, but if Master Yoda thought him ready to begin preparing the next generation of Jedi he wasn't the one who was going to argue it. There was only one person who could, and Anakin thought he probably would: his Master.</p><p>Master Obi-Wan Kenobi loved his Padawan as if he was his own son. He had taken him as his student under most tragic circumstances, but looking back, he believed it had been the right thing to do. He helped him forget the death of his Master – not forget <em>per se</em>, but to conquer the negative feelings it brought him – and he also was Obi-Wan's pride and joy. Anakin was by far the most gifted child at the Temple. Obi-Wan recalled that it even gained him a few enemies among the other Padawans, especially Ferus Olin and Tru Veld. They were the only ones at the time that could actually have some chance of <em>competing </em>with Anakin – even though competition was seen with a disagreeable eye by the Order – but it couldn't be helped. Boys would be boys, and it didn't matter that they were Jedi. The interesting is that, even though Ferus and Anakin never got along, Tru was actually one of his best friends. A nasty business with a malfunctioning lightsaber and a death of someone close soured their friendship, which was quite a shame, for Anakin was left with almost no friends his age in the Jedi Order. His talents brought envy: a trait must to be disliked, especially in Jedi, but Anakin had to deal with it all his life.</p><p>At nine years old, at the time Obi-Wan began Anakin's training, he was as skilled as any other much older Padawan. The Master couldn't lie and say he didn't like it, he loved when he saw his young apprentice win sparring match after sparring match. However, Anakin's exceptional abilities meant more responsibility, not only to himself, but also to young Skywalker. Obi-Wan knew he shouldn't have been so forgiving of his learner's immaturities, but he was. He was never able to teach Anakin to be more patient, or to be less rash. He certainly didn't lead by example when it came to attachments; in fact, he had actually admitted to having a father/son relationship with him rather than a Master/Padawan one. But that couldn't be helped anymore than the competition amongst Jedi. However, his greatest concerns about his Padawan weren't even those; he feared for Anakin's vanity. He never hid he thought himself the best, and he certainly did; and even worse, he wanted to be even better. Everyone wants to improve themselves, to be sure, but Anakin was on a different level: he wanted to be the greatest Jedi in history Obi-Wan feared that this lust for power would ruin that little boy he met on Tatooine.</p><p>Despite all of Obi-Wan's reservations, the truth was that the Order was in desperate need of Knights. Jedi had been dying at a rate that the Council had never expected when the war began; and since there was much urgency several Padawans were Knighted, either being dispensed of the trials, or just by taking one of them. Anakin was the first, no trials at all, his injuries in his duel with Count Dooku and his accomplishments during the first months of the war spared him from them. Under normal circumstances, Anakin's training would last at least two more years, but the deaths of Jedi were overwhelming the Jedi Order. Right after him, Ferus Olin and Tru Veld were bestowed knighthood as well. They surely didn't like Anakin had beaten them to it once again, but the latter was quite proud of himself. Pride was another of Anakin's flaws, or so Obi-Wan thought.</p><p>"<em>Maybe there are too many flaws…"</em></p><p>Anakin barged in to their shared quarters and flopped himself down on the sofa, as he always did. Obi-Wan was startled by the sudden interruption of his train of thought.</p><p>"You never did learn how to knock, did you?" he asked.</p><p>"Why should I knock? I live here too, remember?" he rolled his eyes and Obi-Wan followed suit. "Master, you will never believe what I'm about to tell you," Anakin said after a short silence.</p><p>"I'm afraid to ask, Anakin," the young man chuckled.</p><p>"I took a Padawan," he said simply.</p><p>"You what?" Obi-Wan wasn't easily shocked, but this had shocked him. Anakin wasn't even twenty years old yet and he took a Padawan? <em>Impossible!</em></p><p>"What are you so surprised about?"</p><p>"You're too young to have an apprentice," the Master said, making Anakin furrow his eyebrows.</p><p>"For someone who says he trusts me so much, you don't seem to have any faith in me, at all," he spat bitterly.</p><p>"You're misinterpreting my words, I didn't say that. But there are things you should work on yourself before you begin someone else's training!"</p><p>"Oh yeah? Like what?" Anakin stood.</p><p>"Like your arrogance, Anakin, and your pride and your patience."</p><p>"You know what? You're always like this! Am I not a good Jedi? Have I ever failed you?"</p><p>"You are a good Jedi, and I am proud of you. But Anakin, you still have much to learn," Kenobi reasoned. Anakin narrowed his eyes and his Master knew he was mad at him; he never liked criticism, even though he was the one who disapproved of himself more often.</p><p>"Master Yoda thinks I'm ready," he lifted his chin. There was that pride again.</p><p>"Master Yoda doesn't know you as well as I do. You're a good Jedi; I just think you should've waited a little longer".</p><p>"I'll prove you wrong, Master," Anakin replied.</p><p>"I hope you do, Anakin…"</p><p>Anakin left the room even faster than he entered it. He was mad at Obi-Wan, he had always been overly critical no matter how hard he tried. He knew he wasn't going to react well to this but he hadn't expected <em>this. </em>He should have though, it was just like Obi-Wan to ruin a perfectly good day with a lecture. But what he was forgetting is that he wasn't his Master anymore. Anakin had gotten what he had always wanted: he was a Jedi Knight and he was damn proud of himself. Yes, he was and he wouldn't deny it, it didn't matter to him that Obi-Wan thought pride was a flaw, he had the right to savor this victory, he had worked for it all his life: he had worked hard, very hard, too hard! He had been taken from his Mother, he had been trained and taught endlessly for a single goal and now his mentor was making it hard for him to enjoy it. He knew Obi-Wan thought his training should have lasted longer and even though Anakin agreed occasionally, most of the time he didn't. He deserved it; he earned it!</p><p>"Master Skywalker?" he heard his name being called from behind.</p><p>"What?" he spat as he turned to see the one who had dared to annoy him when he wanted to be left in peace. As Anakin looked, he realized that it was Master Mundi's Padawan. His response made the young man look scared, he was frozen on his spot as he heard Anakin shout at him: and Anakin hated that moment, he realized that his Master was probably right. <em>Hadn't he, himself, just wondered about his own abilities to give training just a few hours ago? </em>The young Knight shook his head before addressing the silent Padawan again "I'm sorry, you were looking for me?"</p><p>"Yes, Master," his expression softened "Master Yoda asked me to tell you that I should take care of your new quarters, for you and your Padawan. If you follow me I'll take you there, it's just down the corridor".</p><p>"Sure," he said as he followed the Padawan. He hadn't even thought about that, for the first time, after ten years, he wouldn't share the same quarters as his Master. He was going to share them with his own Padawan – not that he spent much time at the Temple, the war kept him away for the most part – but he still felt it was odd. He would miss Obi-Wan's cooking, and even his lousy morning mood. He'd have to apologize for his reaction, too often he lost control of himself and he couldn't. The way he had spoken to his Master was wrong, he was never good at taking criticism; he thought he would never be, but he usually ended up regretting it, just like he was regretting it at that moment.</p><p>He followed the young Twi'lek to his new chambers; they were just down the hallway from his Master's, he wouldn't be far from him. Anakin entered, they looked exactly the same. The two small bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and a refresher. It was so empty though, it made Anakin cringe. It lacked the slight mess they always left behind them, the boots scattered across the room, cloaks hanging from chairs and all of that. He had to admit, he and his Master were quite the slobs.</p><p>"Thanks, Anakin said, "I'll move my things here right away, you may go now".</p><p>"You're welcome, Master Skywalker," the young one bowed and left the room. Anakin sat on a chair, he would have to go back and speak to his Master, he was surely on the same place he had left him only a few minutes ago. He hated to apologize, maybe he was too proud, but he would have to. He couldn't deny the wish that his Master would apologize to him too. Despite knowing he should've handled the situation better, he also was growing very tired of being treated like a child. He was a Knight, and everyone – especially his Master – seemed to keep forgetting that. Now he was gladder than ever that Master Yoda had given him the opportunity to take a Padawan, it was a great responsibility indeed, but Anakin was going to do his best.</p><p>It had been too often that Masters kept losing their Padawans since the war had begun. Inexperienced Jedi were dropped on the front by their Masters with no regard for anything, not their age, or their lack of training. Thirteen-year-old younglings were left leading entire squads of clones, at the front view of the droids' weapons, which were programmed to be merciless. Anakin knew it was needed, and that they were not normal younglings, but still, Anakin swore to himself that Jeswi would survive that war unharmed and alive.</p><p>Someone knocked on the door and Anakin looked out the window, he noticed that the night was falling upon Coruscant, he had sat in that room longer than he had thought.</p><p>"Come in," he responded and the door soon slid open. A blonde girl was there, Jeswi Ele, with a small backpack on her shoulders; she smiled as she saw her new Master already waiting for her.</p><p>"Hello Master, Master Yoda told me to report to you here," Anakin stood and regarded her. Without that resolve in her voice, she seemed smaller and more fragile than she looked hours before when Anakin had been inspecting the younglings with Master Yoda, but somehow, Anakin knew she was not as delicate as she seemed.</p><p>"Yes, he told me you'd come. I'm Anakin Skywalker," he introduced himself with a smile.</p><p>"Jeswi Ele," she stretched her little hand for him to shake. Anakin let out a chuckle as he took it in his much larger one.</p><p>"Come on, drop your stuff here. I have to go to my old quarters to pack. Have you ever met Master Kenobi? He's there; he'll make dinner for us," he grinned. The Padawan did as she was told and they slowly began walking the short distance that separated them from Anakin's former Master.</p><p>"Master, does Master Kenobi know we're coming?" she asked curiously.</p><p>"Nope, but as far as he knows I still live there".</p><p>"Oh… okay…"</p><p>"Are you shy?" he asked. She shrugged. "Don't be, he's cool," he grinned as he opened his Master's door with the help of the Force. That was usually how all the doors opened in the Temple, for security reasons.</p><p>"Anakin, you're back," Obi-Wan said dryly as he watched his former Padawan come in.</p><p>"Yeah… sorry about earlier, Master," he ran a hand through his hair. Obi-Wan thought he looked quite endearing whenever he was embarrassed about something.</p><p>"We'll discuss it later. Now who do we have here?" he questioned as he looked at the youngling half hidden behind his former apprentice.</p><p>"Master, this is Jeswi Ele, my Padawan," he stated proudly, "Jeswi, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, my Master".</p><p>"Hello there! I assume you both want dinner, seeing you've arrived right on time,"</p><p>"You know me too well, Master. Can you stay with her while I pack?"</p><p>"Pack?"</p><p>"Yeah, I sort of forgot to tell you I was assigned new quarters," he shrugged.</p><p>"Oh, I see… alright then. Go ahead. Sit down Jeswi, we don't want you to get tired on your first day with Anakin," he chuckled as his Padawan turned to leave. He waited until his old Padawan disappeared inside his old sleeping chambers before addressing the youngling, "How did you meet Master Skywalker?" he asked the young girl.</p><p>"He came in my classroom with Master Yoda earlier today, we talked about this strategic assignment I was doing and then he left," she shrugged.</p><p>"Oh, that was it?" she nodded.</p><p>"Later Master Yoda called me to the Council, I thought I was in trouble, but it turned out he just wanted to tell me Master Skywalker had taken me as his Padawan and that I was to report to him at once," she grinned.</p><p>"Why would you be in trouble?"</p><p>"You promise you won't tell Master Yoda?" she whispered.</p><p>"Promise!"</p><p>"A couple of friends of mine and I were playing some pranks on Master Windu the other day," she giggled "he kept losing his holopad and finding it in the weirdest places," she giggled hinting at her naughtiness.</p><p>"Oh dear, you and your Master will certainly get along," he laughed.</p><p>"And why is that?" Anakin said as he entered the small kitchen again, with his few belongings already packed.</p><p>"Let's just say you and your Padawan have the same taste in jokes,"</p><p>"It's good taste then".</p><p>It was late, much later than her usual bedtime, but that night she could not sleep. Jeswi was excited, she couldn't believe she was a Padawan…</p><p>
  <em>A Padawan…</em>
</p><p>And so young, that wasn't very usual. And she wasn't just a regular Padawan, she was apprentice to Master Skywalker and he was like the greatest Jedi ever! Oh boy, Eremin would be mad when he found out, for months he's been saying he was going to be chosen as Master Skywalker's Padawan. But she was the one who got chosen. She still couldn't believe it, she was so happy! She wondered what she would be doing in the next few years, she wondered whether or not her Master would take her with him on his missions: he probably would cause she was his Padawans and that's what Masters and Padawans do, they go on missions together!</p><p>
  <em>This is so cool!</em>
</p><p>Suddenly she heard a knock on her door and it opened.</p><p>"Jeswi, why are you still up? Are you alright?" her Master asked as he peeked in.</p><p>
  <em>How did he even know she was still awake?</em>
</p><p>"I couldn't sleep, Master," she said shyly.</p><p>"You better get some rest though, we start your training tomorrow and I can hear you think all the way from my room," he snickered.</p><p>
  <em>Blast!</em>
</p><p>"Sorry Master," this guy was good.</p><p>"It's alright," he said as he entered the room and landed a hand on her forehead, "now get some sleep," and she did immediately with the slight Force suggestion from her Master, she didn't even hear him leave the room.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Problems Of A Master</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was not at all what she thought it would be. It was worse, much worse. It was poodoo, it stank and most of all, it <em>sucked! </em>It didn't even matter that it all meant the same, because the more words she'd find the more words would apply to her situation.</p><p>
  <em>And was it mentioned that it sucked?</em>
</p><p>Yes, indeed it did. The first weeks had been fine, they were at the Temple; they trained, and meditated, and created their training bond, and worked on it, and they had fun, and her Master was starting to teach her a bunch of cool things. And yeah, he was a cool guy, he wasn't all stuck up and nose up like most Knights and Masters at the Temple. He called her Jes, to shorten the name that wasn't too long to begin with, and it was an unusual thing, because Jedi weren't known for their use of endearments. But her Master was cool like that, or so she thought. That would pretty much sum up the beginning of her training with Master Skywalker and it was ok, he was on leave and all and he spent most of her time with her and Master Kenobi.</p><p>But then he left, and he not only left, but he left <em>without </em>her! And to her that was outrageous! But it was fine, the first time it didn't even bother her that much, because it was the first time. But then he came back, and he left without her <em>again</em>, and then <em>again and again and again! </em>It had been almost a year and she had hardly set foot out of the Temple, unless it was to go somewhere on Coruscant. <em>She hadn't left Coruscant at all! </em>And even on Coruscant, it was downright annoying! Except for the fun stuff like going to Dex once in a while, but the worst of all was the stupid Senate and the stupid Chancellor.</p><p>
  <em>Yes, that's right, she said stupid, so what?</em>
</p><p>She didn't give a rat's ass if he was the Chancellor, every time her Master finally set foot on Coruscant, <em>where he had left her in the first place, </em>the Chancellor would take him away. At first, her Master had taken her with him to the Senate building but the Chancellor always shut the door on her face, and she just waited and waited for hours before her Master came back, with that all apologetic look on his face that she couldn't stand anymore! Eventually he stopped taking her, or maybe she just stopped going, she wasn't really sure but it didn't matter. However, it was safe to say that Jeswi Ele disliked Chancellor Palpatine very, very much.</p><p>And now, how were things? Did they still suck?<em> YES!</em> A week ago her Master approached her with this huge grin on his face, claiming that he <em>finally </em>was going to take her on a mission. She was happy, to say the least, but it was for no reason as she turned out to realize. And why is that, might you ask? Because, instead of being with her Master <em>doing </em>something, she was stuck in the Jedi Cruiser and now he left her standing there in her quarters to go Force knows where!</p><p>
  <em>UGHHHHHH!</em>
</p><p>As soon as they entered the <em>Resolute </em>her Master showed her to her quarters, which were right next to his. And while they were on their way there, that's when things started to suck all over again!</p><p>"Jeswi," she raised an eyebrow, her Master only called her by her name when he was going to say something he knew she wouldn't like, like all those times he left <em>without </em>her.</p><p>"Yes, <em>Master?</em>" she narrowed her eyes.</p><p>"You're going to do exactly as I tell you, aren't you?" he asked. <em>Great, </em>now he was trying to soften the blow.</p><p>"Of course, after all this <em>is </em>our first mission together," soften <em>this</em>!</p><p>"Well, yeah, in a way it is…" he rubbed his forehead and she sent him a deadly glare. Too bad he wasn't looking.</p><p>"In a way?" she asked. He wasn't talking fast enough.</p><p>"Yeah, you'll be staying here, while the battle on planet happens,"</p><p>"Why? Master Obi-Wan already destroyed the blockade, and we're going on ground assault, right?"</p><p>"No, <em>I'm </em>going on ground assault; <em>you're </em>staying right where you are. You'll come down on the planet once the battle is over,"</p><p>"WHAT?"</p><p>"Jeswi, don't yell at me," he admonished her.</p><p>"Don't yell at you? Are you kidding me?" she shouted even louder.</p><p>"I will not tolerate that kind of disrespect from you, my Padawan!" he was pointing a finger at her. Oh that's how it was going to work? <em>Fine! </em>She pointed her finger right back at him!</p><p>"Then start treating me like a Padawan!" she yelled again. Anakin was starting to feel a headache coming. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He knew his Padawan had been frustrated for some time now, and he understood why. But, to be completely honest, he didn't even had the time to work on it with her, and that was making him frustrated. <em>Maybe Obi-Wan was right, maybe he shouldn't have taken her.</em> However, he did and she was his responsibility so he was just gonna have to suck it up and handle it. He lowered his hand and took a deep breath, using the Force to calm himself down.</p><p>"Jeswi, I brought you here to watch, to learn, not to fight. You're not ready yet,"</p><p>"You always say that! If I don't start doing things then I'll never be ready, I'll never be good enough!" she just kept yelling and Anakin's frustration just kept growing. They had talked about this a hundred times. <em>Couldn't he do anything right?</em></p><p>"Jeswi," he landed his hands on her tiny shoulders "You will be ready, just not yet. Now please, just do what I'm asking you… <em>please… </em>I promise we'll talk about this as soon as I return. Master Obi-Wan is boarding the Resolute and he'll look after you. Just watch him and Admiral Yularen, alright?"</p><p>She just nodded before her Master took his leave to prepare his upcoming battle. She knew she was supposed to obey to his Master and she would, but this was so frustrating! She felt she wasn't good enough, she tried <em>so hard! </em>And apparently nothing she did would ever suffice. She sat for a while, but she was far too annoyed to stay in one place so she left to wander about the ship, after all, she had never been inside a Jedi Cruiser before and at least she could see something interesting.</p><p>She walked around freely; she went to the bridge first, where Admiral Yularen was too busy ordering people around, no one even gave her a second look, then she continued wandering, everywhere she looked there were armored clones, either doing their jobs, whatever they were, or just enjoying a break. She finally sighed, even though the last person she wanted to see was her Master, after two hours of walking back and forth, she decided to go to the hangar. If he was somewhere other than the bridge, that would be the place to find him. As she walked in, she marveled at how huge it was, and observed the many shuttles and fighters landed. The hangar was quite busy; clones, mechanics and all sorts of technicians walked about in a hurry. She continued sauntering across the hangar, now trying to look for her Master, she was bored enough, might as well have a chat with him before he left without her… again.</p><p>It didn't take long before she found him, he was in conversion with Master Kenobi near his fighter. She approached him, despite their previous disagreement, he looked back before she even got there, clearly sensing her.</p><p>"Are you calmer now Jes?" he asked in a dry tone and she just rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Must you two always be fighting?" Obi-Wan interjected with a shake of his head.</p><p>"We're not fighting, Master. We just had a little divergence that <em>is </em>completely settled? Right Jes?" her Master looked at her from the corner of his eye. She rolled her eyes… again.</p><p>"Yeah… completely…" she responded dryly.</p><p>"General, it's time," a clone trooper interrupted the conversation.</p><p>"Jes, this is Captain Rex," he told her "and this his my Padawan, Jeswi Ele," he presented her and she could sensing something coming from him. <em>Was that pride? </em>No way, she was totally dreaming!</p><p>"It's good to meet you, Commander Ele. We've all heard much about you,"</p><p>"You have?" she raised an eyebrow and her Master smiled next to her.</p><p>"Enough chatter, let's get going Rex. And you, don't do anything stupid!" he warned "And listen to Obi-Wan. I'll see you down there when the battle is over,"</p><p>"May the Force be with you, Master," she said in a softer tone, after all, he <em>was </em>going to battle.</p><p>"May the Force be with you, Jes," he replied with a smile and a bow and left.</p><p>Obi-Wan was somewhat concerned. He was now quite sure that Anakin needed to wait a little longer to take a Padawan. Every single time there was a mission and Jeswi had to stay at the Temple, he had to listen to his former apprentice relating to him all kinds of heated discussions he had with his Padawan and it was quite upsetting. He understood Anakin, war was not a good time to train a Jedi, especially one this young, but what was done was done and now they'd just have to sort things out.</p><p>He could sense Jeswi's frustrations loudly through the Force, he ran a soothing hand down her back and led her to the bridge. Together and in silence, they watched as several Republic ships made their way to the planet, Felucia had been heavily under attack by the Separatists, but hopefully, this would be the last few days of occupation. He had enough confidence in Anakin's abilities to know that he would be able to win this battle.</p><p>He looked again at Jeswi, he had been distracted, but now that he observed her closely, he could see the tears shimmering on her eyes. She refused to let them out but he knew how it felt to feel rejected, and despite being well aware that Anakin looked after her safety and well-being to the best of his abilities, he could also understand how one so young and impatient wouldn't see it so. He remembered his last conversation with Anakin, right before he left, there was no doubt in his mind that his former Padawan's most pressing concern was with this young girl. Obi-Wan would do everything he could to help, for he knew that if Anakin would ever grow to love his own Padawan has Obi-Wan loved his former, she would be his drive for everything he did.</p><p>"<em>Master, I don't know what to do anymore"</em> <em>Anakin had said, looking down.</em></p><p>"<em>About what, Anakin?" his former Master asked.</em></p><p>"<em>About Jeswi… she's so frustrated, but I can't just shove her in a battle, she's not ready… I don't… I don't want her to die, Master. She doesn't understand, she hasn't seen war and it's not the place for her. She's just a child… I tried explaining over and over again, but she won't listen to me, she doesn't understand…" he spoke very fast.</em></p><p>"<em>Anakin, she reminds me much of you. When I took you as my Padawan you were very young, there were things you couldn't do and yet you insisted and I still have no idea how I had the patience for your little temper tantrums. But you must give her time, and you must speak to her in earnest, not just giving her excuses because you know very well that she thinks that's what it is," Anakin sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair.</em></p><p>"<em>I know, Master" he finally spoke "I tried, I spoke to her so many times, but she has this thick head! She's so stubborn, I can't get her to understand. Could you please talk to her Master? I know it's a lot to ask, she's not your responsibility, but maybe she'll listen to you, you're patient and wise… and me… I'm just a kid… I fear you were right," he snorted, disappointed in himself.</em></p><p>"<em>Anakin, I know for sure, that you will be a great Master to Jeswi, this is just the beginning. You have to adapt to this new situation and the war certainly doesn't help. But hopefully, it will not last too long…" he sighed "But I will speak to her, I promise to do my best. I handled you so I can handle her," he chuckled making Anakin roll his eyes.</em></p><p>Now Obi-Wan stood there, thinking of a way to engage the young girl in conversation, but failing miserably because he simply had so much on his mind. He was sure that this war was making every Jedi a poorer one. In spite of himself, he took a deep breath before he spoke.</p><p>"Jeswi, your Master is very concerned about you," he started, hoping this would be the best approach. She looked up at him, a tear that was stuck rolled down her flushed cheek.</p><p>"He thinks I'm no good, doesn't he?" her voice cracked and Obi-Wan's heart broke.</p><p>"No," he reached out a hand to clean her tear with his finger "your Master loves you very much. You see, he's afraid, he's afraid he might lose you in this war and he doesn't want you in it unless he's sure you're ready for it. You shouldn't want to grow up too fast, Jeswi. War is a terrible thing, there is so much death and so much…" he trailed off.</p><p>"But he shouldn't be afraid to lose me. Doesn't Master Yoda say that fear is a path to the Dark Side?" she let out a little sob and Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile.</p><p>"Yes, it is… Fear can be very dangerous and you have to let go of it. However, you can't be irresponsible. Even if he did let go of his fear, he couldn't put you in a situation that he knew would probably cost your life," this made Jeswi frown.</p><p>"That's not a very Jedi thing to do" Obi-Wan was taken aback "Master Yoda always taught us that Jedi give their lives for the greater good,"</p><p>"Oh dear, I think you're even worse than your Master,"</p><p>"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed his beard in thought.</p><p>"When Anakin was about your age, he always wanted to go with me on missions, and sometimes I didn't let him, for the exact same reason he doesn't let you. And, like you, he complained and threw tantrums, but at least he never tossed Master Yoda's teachings back at me," he gave her a displeased look that made her cringe, "But in the end, he understood, and now he understands better than ever. However, look at him, a great Jedi Knight, with amazing skills. If I had sent him on missions he wasn't prepared for, he probably would have been killed, and you wouldn't have your Master, now would you? Do you understand now, Jeswi?"</p><p>"Yes, Master Kenobi, I think I do,"</p><p>"You must speak to your Master about this,"</p><p>"Yes, Master," she said sheepishly.</p><p>"Do you promise you will?"</p><p>"I promise,"</p><p>"Now, why don't we go speak with Admiral Yularen? I'm sure you have much to learn from him," the Master patted the young woman's back.</p><p>Anakin finally had some time to meditate. He felt like he needed it, three days in a battle weren't easy, but finally the droid army retreated. Another battle won, and dozens of lost men. Anakin connected with the Force, he sank deep into it and he mourned all of those who were gone, those who rejoined the Force. He wouldn't miss them, he'd let go, <em>he should </em>let go. Some of his best men were lost in battle, he had fought alongside with them for at least a year, and their loss was felt.</p><p>He opened his eyes, since the war had started meditation became harder and harder, the atrocities of war were hard to deal with, but he had no choice. He hoped it would end soon, he missed peace. He missed when he went to diplomatic missions, he missed when he was with his Master solving some far away border dispute, sometimes he even missed being a Padawan. Having this much responsibility on him weighed him down more every day. He had been eager to become a Knight, and when it came he welcomed it, he knew he was capable. But there was so much to deal with, that sometimes he doubted he could be a good Jedi. He also missed Obi-Wan, while he had been an apprentice he had always have his moral compass right next to him, always ready to give an advice, to sooth his worries and concerns, to make him be better than he was. He missed that, the constant presence of his former Master had been comforting, but now that they were apart much more, sometimes Anakin felt conflicted by his actions. He was afraid, too afraid… he was afraid that he wasn't there to protect Obi-Wan in case he needed him. Jaabim had been some time ago, but it would always remain fresh on his mind, the pain he felt, the loss had been so overwhelming, he barely functioned. His mentor, his best friend, his brother… his <em>father</em> was gone and Anakin had felt pain like he never had experienced before. He knew he felt too much, he knew he was too attached, sometimes he felt he was the only one, but he always reconsidered it when he was in the presence of his former Master. He knew their attachment to each other was quite unusual, not to mention unwelcome, in the Jedi Order, but there was nothing he wouldn't do for his Master, and there was nothing his Master wouldn't do for him.</p><p>
  <em>After all, that's what family does…</em>
</p><p>He often remembered when Obi-Wan had said he loved him like a son. One would never think that the always correct and strict Obi-Wan Kenobi would form such an attachment, but he did. It was rare for his Master to share his feelings, he had done so occasionally, especially when Anakin was injured. But he would never doubt it for a second. Obi-Wan had put him in his bed when he had a fever, he had cleaned his face when he got dirty from playing, he had helped him with his homework and assignments and for so many times he was all too willing to give up his own life for Anakin's. No, there was no doubt, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were not only Master and Padawan, they were family.</p><p>There was one problem, the Jedi Order didn't see their connection with smiling faces, the Council had often admonished them, especially Anakin who always had the tendency to wear his feelings on his sleeve. And young Skywalker often wondered if ever his feelings would be his fall, but then he watched his former Master and he hoped they wouldn't. Obi-Wan loved, and yet he was the perfect Jedi. Much better than Anakin would ever hope to be, but that was what he strived to be ever since he was a youngling, and he hoped that one day he would be, at least, something similar.</p><p>Anakin was well aware of his flaws, he knew he wasn't the Jedi he was supposed to be, but it was in his nature. Attachments had always been his biggest issue, first he had been Obi-Wan, he had been his childhood hero, and he continued to be his hero. Then it was Padmé. It had been the hardest so far, he was too near to breaking the rules and he feared he was still. He tried to let go of his feelings for her, transform them, let them go into the Force, something that would help him, but he knew, deep down, that it was still an unresolved issue. He loved her and it was hard to think about not loving her, but he was trying, he would keep trying and he would eventually succeed. And now, his problem with attachments was only becoming worse. Ever since he had taken Jeswi under his wing, he promised she would survive the war, and he also promised to be as good as a Master to her as Obi-Wan had been to him. Anakin loved the girl despite all her flaws. She was temperamental and reminded him so much of himself, and maybe that made him admire his own Master even more. Anakin knew that he was overprotective, but that was something he wasn't willing to give up, at least not just yet. But he knew he would have to eventually, he knew he couldn't hide her from the Galaxy inside the Jedi Temple forever, the Council had already questioned his abilities as a Master more than once, that's why he had decided to bring her along this time. And while he certainly was not going to put her in the front lines just yet, he knew it was time to start taking her from the protective walls of the Temple.</p><p>He interrupted his thoughts and stood. He walked to the window, he observed the makeshift hangar of the command center and he waited. Now that the battle was over, Obi-Wan would bring Jeswi to the planet to help him. The capital had been retaken and the remnants of the droid army were taking off, so their job now was to help restore some sense of normality in Felucia's institutions. This was something Jeswi could participate in, and he was glad she could. Anakin could understand her frustration and because he could it was harder to deal with, he knew it should not be, but the truth is that were he in her place he would feel the same way. He had in the past, actually, and if it was now that he was left in the sidelines he would too. A gunship finally landed and Anakin ran to the hangar.</p><p>"Hey Jes!" he greeted as soon as he approached them. All the bits and pieces of his previous musings were now gone from his expression and the lines of worry on his forehead were replaced by a calm expression.</p><p>"I'm glad to see you're alright, Master," this made Anakin smile in earnest, he didn't know why but it felt nice to know that someone worried about him.</p><p>"So, did you learn much at the Jedi Cruiser?"</p><p>"Sure, Master Kenobi and Admiral Yularen told me about the systems of the ship, and how it all worked. They also told me how Master Kenobi had defeated the Separatist blockade over the planet, it was very interesting," she said.</p><p>"Good, I want a report," and that wiped the smile off her face. Obi-Wan had been silently watching the interaction between his former Padawan and young Jeswi and suddenly missed when Anakin was just a youngling. As hard as it was to raise him, things were so much simpler then. Yes, the war made everything so much harder, so much darker.</p><p>Anakin was glad to be able to return to the Temple after Felucia, even if it was only for a few days, it had been weeks since he had been home and he missed the peace that the Jedi Temple provided. He was also escorting his Padawan, who wouldn't be too happy to be left there again. Anakin promised himself to bring her with him if some sort of diplomatic mission came along, that would be nice, but unfortunately the Council always loved to put him in the front lines and Anakin was tired of the front lines.</p><p>"We're almost arriving," Anakin smiled and looked at young Jeswi but the only response he obtained was a wry smile, he reached with the Force and sensed her discomfort, "Jes, is something troubling you?"</p><p>"No, Master. Everything is alright," she faked another smile but failed miserably. Anakin frowned, he could recognize a lie from parsecs away and he knew his Padawan was lying, even without that bad excuse for a smile.</p><p>"I don't like it when you lie to me," he decided that a direct approach would be the best, at least it was the only one he was good at. He wasn't so fond of subtlety. Jeswi looked up at him but offered him no answer and his frown only deepened, "What's wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything," he pushed.</p><p>Jeswi shrugged before answering "I don't like it at the Temple anymore," her Master watched her quizzically, he wondered what that meant.</p><p>"Why?" and he received a shrug once more making him sigh in exasperation, "Jes, if you don't talk to me I can't help you…"</p><p>"I know… it's just… it's stupid…"</p><p>"I'm sure it isn't, tell me what's going on,"</p><p>She took a deep breath and looked down, "There's this boy…" she said in almost a whisper but it was enough to make Anakin's heart race.</p><p>
  <em>A boy? A BOY? No no no!</em>
</p><p>"You're too young to be with a boy! And you're a Jedi!" Jeswi looked at him, she didn't seem to know what her Master was talking about, until only seconds later realization settled and she rushed to clarify the situation.</p><p>"Oh no, no that's not what I meant Master!" Anakin's heart slowed immediately. He knew he would eventually have to handle the questions about attachments, and <em>all the rest</em>, but he was hoping it would be much later though. His prayers had been heard, at least for now "this boy, he used to be my friend, and now he's not…" she continued explaining.</p><p>"Why not? Something happened while I was away?"</p><p>"No, something happened when you were at the Temple," she rolled her eyes.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You chose me and not him, and now he's jealous and he's always picking on me, and I ignore him but he keeps doing it. I think he's jealous, because for months he was saying that he was going to be your Padawan, and then you chose me, and he has this grudge against me… and… he's mean…" Anakin frowned again.</p><p>"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"</p><p>"Well, because it's silly and you have more important things to worry about," Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This really hadn't started the best way, at all.</p><p>"Jes, look at me," he requested after he exhaled the air from his lungs and opened his eyes to regard his young Padawan again, she did has told and Anakin took her hand in his "nothing is more important than you, okay? You are my Padawan and it's my job to take care of you and you can tell me all of your problems, alright?"</p><p>"Yes, Master," she answered, her voice almost cracking. It had been good for her to go on this mission, even if it wasn't what she had anticipated. But that situation at the Temple was obviously troubling and Anakin scolded himself for not picking up on it earlier. He clearly wasn't spending enough time with his apprentice.</p><p>"Now tell me who this boy is," maybe if he could solve this situation Jeswi's anxiety to leave the Temple would diminish.</p><p>"Eremin Tarn," she felt bad for speaking of this with her Master, but she could tell him anything, right?</p><p>"I remember him," Anakin grimaced, "There was something about him… Does he have a Master?" Jeswi nodded.</p><p>"Master Veld took him as his Padawan recently,"</p><p>"Oh that's just great! The Padawan doesn't like you and the Master doesn't like me. This is going to be easy," he rolled his eyes.</p><p>"What are you going to do, Master?"</p><p>"I'm going to speak with Master Veld, I suppose. Don't worry about it, that boy won't bother you again,"</p><p>They soon arrived at the Jedi Temple and Anakin sent Jeswi to pick up on her lessons immediately, while he reported to the Council. Right after his meeting he walked towards Tru Veld's quarters, he had been informed that he was in the Temple at the moment. Anakin cringed at the thought of having to confront him, he didn't like the idea one bit. Anakin had never had too many friends at the Temple when he was a child, Tru and Jax had been the exceptions, and while he still maintained a strong friendship with Jax Pavan, the situation with Tru was the complete opposite. It had been years before and they were just kids, Anakin knew he had made a mistake and was able to admit it, but Tru was never too receptive in receiving his apologies and even less receptive to admit his own guilt. That upset Anakin. Tru had given up their friendship because it was easier to blame someone else for his mistakes than accepting the responsibility, so Anakin eventually gave up trying to rekindle their camaraderie.</p><p>The memory alone made Anakin cringe. That mission to Korriban had truly been a disaster. Anakin blamed himself partly, he knew that Tru's lightsaber was malfunctioning, and he knew that Ferus hadn't repaired it completely and decided to say nothing. But the choice to hide the fact was Tru's to begin with, it was <em>his</em> lightsaber, it was <em>his</em> responsibility.</p><p><em>This weapon his your life… and everyone else's. </em>Tru forgot about the lesson that had been given to them all too often, and Anakin's immaturity didn't help. He should have said the lightsaber wasn't going to work, but he was just a boy and he was trying to teach him a lesson. He regretted it, he knew now that it was not his place to teach a lesson to his friend, but he could not turn back in time and undo what had been done. And despite his feelings of guilt, he couldn't deny that the most culprit party had been Tru himself. He didn't even try to fix the damn lightsaber!</p><p>Maybe if none of them had acted like younglings ready for a fight, Darra would still be alive. But there was nothing he could do about it anymore.</p><p>He knocked on the door as he finally arrived, and it opened immediately, Tru appearing under it with a grimace that made Anakin cringe.</p><p>"What do you want Skywalker?" he asked rudely making Anakin roll his eyes.</p><p>"I see you'll never let go of that, will you?" he shook his head.</p><p>Tru frowned deeply "We have nothing to talk about in that regard, Anakin. Why won't you just tell me why you're here?"</p><p>"I'm not here to talk about Korriban, if that's what you're afraid of. I'm here to talk about your Padawan," Anakin was annoyed by his former friend's behavior. He felt Tru needed some lessons with Master Yoda about releasing his feelings to the Force; he had never seen such a grudge.</p><p>"What about my Padawan?"</p><p>"I am here to ask you politely, to tell him to stop picking on Jeswi. She's had enough of it and so have I!" Anakin warned making Veld scoff.</p><p>"I hardly think Eremin has any problems with your Padawan, Skywalker. Why would he?"</p><p>"Well, you'll have to ask him that. But know that if I ever hear of any problems between him and Jeswi, I'll speak to the Council to take disciplinary action on him. So, in case you wish to save him the embarrassment, please speak to him and be his Master," Anakin warned.</p><p>"What are you implying, Skywalker?" Tru narrowed his eyes, his annoyance was growing but Anakin honestly didn't care.</p><p>"I am implying nothing, I was quite straightforward. Now if you'll excuse me, I will leave you," he bowed and turned to leave before Veld had the chance to shut the door in his face. It was time for lightsaber training with Jeswi, anyway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Rescue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He had a plan, a brilliant plan, and it was ruined! And why? Because of a spoiled brat who always was too quick to show her disagreement to her superiors. They all thought he didn't see it, but if there was something Eremin Tarn was good at was at seeing everything that surrounded him. The fights along the halls of the Temple, the discussions, the disagreements, and the utter lack of respect she showed for him; to the man that was supposed to be <em>his </em>Master! That was his plan, to be trained by the most powerful Jedi of all time. And yet he chose that little weak minded, spoiled brat instead of him. But why? Who knows! He couldn't understand it, because it was impossible to understand!</p><p>Eremin Tarn was admired by everyone in his circle, the Masters who had trained him while he was a youngling, his fellow colleagues, the other Padawans. Because he was powerful, he was strong, he was one of the best, and to become the best one needs to be trained by the best and the best was, without a doubt, Anakin Skywalker. And yet he was stuck with that weakling, with Tru Veld, who didn't even know how to properly build a lightsaber. Was that what was to become of him? To be a mediocre Jedi Knight trained by a mediocre Master? It was disgraceful!</p><p>Oh yes, Eremin Tarn longed to be the best and this way he would never be the because they had ruined his preparations. He trained as hard as he possibly could at that time, the rumours were spreading across the Temple, Master Skywalker was taking a Padawan, someone heard the green dwarf talking about it, and he wanted that, his future laid in the hands of that young Knight. He impressed, he knew he did, he heard him saying he was good, because he knew he was good. But then he just turned his back and went elsewhere. He actually turned his back on one of the most talented Initiates on the Jedi Order, if not the most talented. And he chose a little girl, who wasn't even ready for battle, a little girl who would just slow him down and stand on his way.</p><p>He was getting too old, fortunately the Jedi Order had recently decided to give more time to Initiates to be chosen by a Master, instead of sending them straight to the Corps when they turned thirteen. Yes, he was lucky in that, he was already fifteen years old and he had been with Master Veld for months now. He had been waiting patiently for his moment of glory, but it never came. What came was Tru Veld, his last chance of ever becoming a Jedi Knight and he couldn't let it go. He grabbed it forcefully and held on to it. He would be better than his Master, he had to. He didn't have much reason to respect him, other than the fact that he had given him his last chance after the mistake that Skywalker made. One day he would see his mistake and Eremin would be there to laugh in his face when he did.</p><p>And on top of all, he was being lectured by his pathetic Master, because of Skywalker's little overprotective fit. He had never harmed the brat, he had done nothing to her. And yet there she was crying around corners and tattle telling to her protector. It was yet another testament to the weakness of those people. It was no wonder to him that the Jedi Order was withering and dying. Instead of power they valued weakness, instead of respect they valued insolence, instead of him they valued her. He could see it now, it was all so clear. He knew that they would fall short if the Jedi Order was to continue as it was, so Eremin Tarn would make a difference. He would become the best and he would make a difference! He was going to cleanse the Order of its faults one day, he would become History itself. He didn't care if Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, he was choosing himself to make the Jedi Order a stronger, stricter, better Institution. Yes, it was his Destiny, he knew it now. And he would be patient, because patience was one of his best virtues, and one day he would make a difference.</p><p>As he left his Master behind after his ridiculous sermon about respect, all he could feel was anger, he was well aware of the feeling. It was fueling his thoughts, but it was making it all so clear, it was helping him draw a new plan, a new Destiny, and so for now he welcomed it. The Jedi had always taught him that anger was a path to the Dark Side, but for him, anger was a path to clarity and determination. It had been accompanying him for some time now, for more than a year, ever since he heard about Jeswi and Skywalker. He was blind before but now he could see, he could see all the deficiencies of the Jedi Order, he could see what was lacking on the Jedi to win this stupid war. The Jedi preached about fear, and yet they were afraid, afraid of themselves, afraid of what they could be, of their potential, of their strength, of their power, of their fate. Through all the shortcomings of the ridiculous Senate and most of all, through all the fear in the Jedi Order, he could see the fall of the Republic as he knew it. Yes, he could see it in the horizon; he could see it coming. It was near, too near and there was nothing he could do to stop it for he had no influence, he had no power! And he had no power because the Order had no power. They were nothing but the pets of the Senate and especially the Chancellor. The one who holds the power holds the future in his hands, and the one who held the power was Palpatine. He needed to get near him; he needed to become one of his favorites, just as Skywalker was, and he needed a way to do so. He would meditate on it; he would find a way, because one way or the other Eremin Tarn always got what he wanted. And he wanted a powerful Jedi Order.</p><p>The appearance of the flickering bluish hologram of Obi-Wan made Anakin smile. It had been weeks since he had last seen or spoken to his Master, it was juvenile, he knew, but he wasn't used to being away from him for such long periods of time.</p><p>"Hey Master," he greeted cheerfully.</p><p>"Hello Anakin!" the hologram replied with a smile "How are you?"</p><p>"Well! Everything went well,"</p><p>"Were there any problems?" he asked.</p><p>"Pff Master Kenobi, if there weren't it wouldn't be one of Master Skywalker's missions!" Jeswi interjected with a roll of her eyes making Obi-Wan chuckle.</p><p>"That is true indeed. Unfortunately I am not about to deliver the best of news to any of you," a frown appeared on his face but he soon began speaking again, "Unfortunately we have sustained heavy losses in the battle of Duro. Most of the fleet was destroyed and our troops and Jedi in location are in retreat. Yet they have no way of leaving the planet. Therefore, you are to go on a rescue mission. And it is a rescue mission only, Anakin. Please don't try to exceed your mandate again!"</p><p>"Don't worry Master, rescue mission. Got it! What's the situation?" Anakin asked.</p><p>"There were Jedi and clone troopers on the planet surface. Unfortunately, the Separatists were able to take Jyvus Space City and disable the planet shields. Our troops were forced to retreat. However, we received a coded emergency transmission from our people, Jedi distress codes, so I will assume it were the Jedi on site that sent it. We were able to discover their last known location. Right here," a holographic map replaced the image of the Jedi Master, "The terrain is quite troublesome, but it's nothing you can't handle. You are to go to this location, find the Jedi and the troops and bring them back. They have valuable information about the battle. We suspect some sabotage, but we don't know yet. The Senate will start an investigation depending on the intelligence they bring with them."</p><p>"How many are there?"</p><p>"We don't know, but I suspect not many are left," he shook his head.</p><p>"Who are the Jedi on the surface?" Anakin asked.</p><p>"Knight Veld and his Padawan," young Skywalker frowned.</p><p>"We don't really work very well together, as you know Master,"</p><p>"Unfortunately I am well aware of that. Nevertheless, you are the only one available. Just try to put your differences aside and work together,"</p><p>"Yeah, I'll try. I'm just going to send a shuttle with Jeswi back to Coruscant and I'll get on my way there,"</p><p>"Master, I'm coming with you!" she protested.</p><p>"Yes Anakin, you'll need her for this. After all, it is time; you know it is. That is an order, Anakin." Obi-Wan said, he had been telling him that Jeswi was ready, and he wasn't going to let this slip away, he was on the Council, he was his superior and Anakin couldn't disobey a direct order. But then again, he was never too good at following orders. On the other hand, he was well aware that the young Padawan was ready, he had trained her himself and witnessed her amazing progress. He was now certain that she would become a great Jedi Knight, if only she could survive this war. That was what he was really afraid of, he couldn't even deny it, everyone could see right through him on that matter. But he knew it too, he knew it was time, he knew that all she needed was experience in order to improve even further. So he pushed past his fear and finally acquiesced.</p><p>"Alright, she's coming. But don't dare disobey me!" he turned to his Padawan.</p><p>"Don't worry Master! I'll be fine!" she smiled.</p><p>"Very well, all is settled," the hologram spoke "May the Force be with you both," it said before it disappeared.</p><p>"Admiral Yularen, set a course to Duro. Jump to hyperspace as soon as possible," he ordered before activating the map of the planet to come up with a plan. He groaned almost silently. A planet completely under the control of the droid army. This was not going to be easy, at all.</p><p>The trip to Duro was quite short. They had left hyperspace with some distance from the system. They couldn't afford to be detected, at least not so soon, though Anakin knew it was inevitable. He looked at his Padawan who was silently contemplating the holographic maps of the planet, a look of deep concentration adorned her features. He smiled. He couldn't believe that it she was actually going on her first actual mission, even if it was to rescue someone she didn't like, but Jeswi had a selflessness to her that Anakin couldn't really claim he for himself.</p><p>"Jes?" he asked, her only reaction was a nod, she didn't take her eyes from the map for a moment "Are you ready for this? You don't have to come if you're not," this was his last attempt to keep her from harm's way. It failed even before it began.</p><p>"I'm ready Master! I won't disappoint you, I promise," he smiled.</p><p>"I know you won't. Let's go then. Rex, come on, we have a hard one ahead of us," he said as he walked towards the shuttle that would take them the rest of the way, followed by his Padawan and a squad of clone troopers led by the ever loyal Captain Rex.</p><p>He couldn't claim the plan was simple, on the contrary. It was quite the challenge to his piloting skills. He would take the ship on impulse into the atmosphere, every engine off. They couldn't afford to be spotted by the Separatists' scanners. So there was no other way. It would be like a crash landing, yet this time, after a million of complex mathematical calculations that he was lucky enough he could leave for droids, it would be a calculated crash. He would enter the atmosphere at an appropriate speed, and below scanner range he would turn on the engines and pray that the astromech droid made the calculations properly for a landing. If the ship was damaged, they would all be stranded on the surface. It was a dangerous mission; he hoped those two were actually worth it, even though he doubted it for a moment.</p><p>"Okay people, strap yourselves in. I'm turning the power off," he said as they approached the atmosphere. Their entrance in it was bumpy, to say the least, but the landing went smoothly, or at least as smoothly as expected under the circumstances. No significant damage to the ship and no casualties. Yes, it was all going as planned.</p><p>They exited the shuttle and Anakin beheld the wasteland that Duro was. Once it had been a rich planet filled with green and now it was nothing but ash and rocks. What a shame it was; what land it could be.</p><p>They walked across the rocky landscape heading to the coordinates that were indicated by Obi-Wan. They only encountered a hand full of droids, and it was proof that his plan to reach the surface undetected had been successful. But the walk was long and arduous, he was well but he feared the clones would begin showing signs of distress soon. When night came they stopped to rest and have a night of sleep. Unfortunately, Anakin hadn't found an appropriate place for landing that was nearer to the signal's location. This would have to do. Jeswi didn't seem tired, but she did show some nervousness. It was one of her first missions, and by far the most dangerous one. So far it was all going according as planned but Anakin couldn't help but feel that something could go wrong to put his Padawan's life at risk. He shook the thought from his mind, he couldn't let it bother him. If something bad were to happen, fear would certainly not be the best way to protect anyone.</p><p>The night was short, as soon as the hot sun began appearing on the horizon they were on their way once again. Jeswi seemed calmer, despite the closing distance from her former friend who eventually became nothing more than a nuisance. It was a sad situation; Anakin knew it better than anyone else did, but he was aware for a long time now that Jedi were as flawed as anyone else.</p><p>Anakin's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. The Force screamed danger, it was an aching noise that was impossible to ignore. He glanced at his young Padawan only to realize she had also gotten the alarming message; her lightsaber was being held tightly in between her fingers, as was her Master's, who had grabbed it on reflex alone. They were outnumbered; the young Knight sensed it through the Force, even though the enemy was completely out of sight. His senses were well attuned; they were natural and improved by almost twenty years of training.</p><p>"We have company," Anakin warned in a whispered tone to the squad of clones that followed him. They immediately took cover on the rocky terrain of Duro, as ordered by their General. If there was something that those clones were good at, other than combat, was at following orders, even if it meant getting themselves killed. It confused Skywalker, especially because he was a master at twisting orders and following them any way he pleased. He supposed it was the advantage of a free mind and he could not deny that clones that didn't question his word saved the Jedi a lot of trouble when it came to leading the war effort. They didn't need mutinies and conspiracies amongst them. Anakin had the feeling that there were conspiracies enough as it was.</p><p>"Stay close," he warned his Padawan who nodded in response. Jeswi followed her Master taking cover behind one of the never-ending rocks of Duro's wasteland.</p><p>Both blue blades ignited simultaneously and both waited in complete silence in order to ambush the droids that were almost intercepting them. Battle droids were quite easy to destroy by any standards, their only advantage rested in numbers and Anakin sensed about sixty of them. He didn't have to see them. Yes, the Force was quite a blessing when it came to combat. The problem that existed is that they were only twelve in the rescue mission. They had only brought a squad of ten clones with them, lead by Captain Rex. Twelve against sixty, the odds were certainly against them even though everyone seemed to think one Jedi was worth a hundred droids. Anakin knew better than that, he knew that it only took one wrong move, one moment of distraction, one failed defense, one lost blast and a Jedi could be gone in a matter of seconds. Unlike what everyone in the Galaxy liked to believe, Jedi were not invincible. However, he understood why they liked to think that way. It was easier, yes, it was much simpler to think that Jedi can beat just everything and everyone, it made it easier to everyone to justify and keep this war going. In addition, to think that the clones' lives were worth less than their own made it completely justifiable. They were just clones after all, people did not have to fight their own wars or win their own battles, and there was always someone to take the burden off them, to take the responsibility. They didn't realize how grave it was, how important, how deadly the clone wars were being. And they didn't care because Jedi were invincible and clones weren't even real people.</p><p>The droids finally arrived; fortunately, they seemed to be completely unaware of their presence – one of the consequences of soldiers who could not think for themselves. Anakin had always believed that a good offense was the best defense, and usually acted accordingly. Anakin leapt towards them – lightsaber ignited – followed closely by his young Padawan, who vigorously deflected the blaster shots that came their way, with a surprising speed and skill. She certainly was quite the natural talent. The blue blasts appeared behind them, hitting several of the droids as the others were destroyed by the Jedi Knight's blade in a speed that was hard to follow. Anakin Skywalker was truly the best, and no one who saw him in action could ever deny it. Anakin watched his Padawan as she destroyed the few remaining droids. There was no doubt she was talented, he could recognize that she was ready for battle. Yes, he could see it now. He was proud of her, he smiled as he withdrew his blade when the threat was over and they were surrounded only by spare parts.</p><p>"Good job," he told her, gaining a little embarrassed smile from the young apprentice.</p><p>"Thanks Master. I did exactly what you told me,"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah!" he chuckled, but the amusement soon faded as he realized that three of their men were down. Rex was checking on them, and Anakin knew they were dead even before the Captain reported it to him. He could sense that they had become one with the Force, he always could. Those little flickering signs of Force that surrounded every living being faded away and only emptiness was there now.</p><p>"We have to leave them," he announced regrettably. The young Knight didn't like leaving bodies behind, he thought of it as disrespectful. But during the war he had done that more times than he could count. The mission had to come first and there was no possibility that they could carry three dead bodies to the rendezvous point and back to the ship.</p><p>"Yes, General! You heard him boys, let's get going!" Rex said to his soldiers.</p><p>"But Master, if they find the bodies, they'll know we're here. Shouldn't we do something about it?"</p><p>"I suspect they'll know it anyway when the droids don't report back to wherever they were going," he replied.</p><p>"Yes, but they might think it's the resistance. If they see the bodies they'll know we're here. We should hide the bodies," she suggested.</p><p>"I don't think we have time for that Jes. When they fail to report they'll come looking for what happened and we really need to hurry. Our trip back to the ship will have to be a lot quicker than what it took us to get here. We wasted too much time; we should have arrived at the coordinates already. I just hope they have some really good information to share," he said as he regarded the dead bodies for one last time before beginning to walk towards their destination again, this time at a slightly faster pace. He knew the clones didn't have a Jedi's resistance, but they would have to do it this time.</p><p>There were no more major setbacks during the remaining of their walk. As soon as they arrived they found Knight Veld and his Padawan very near the place that the distress signals were sent from. Anakin shook his head. Being on the run and staying on the same spot for days wasn't exactly a brilliant strategy, especially after sending communications. Tru had always been lucky, if there was such a thing. His lightsaber malfunctioned too regularly, his techniques were sometimes rather primitive, not to mention stupid, but he always seemed to find a way to stay alive. That was his biggest quality, actually. When a critical time came Tru Veld had one of the finest survival instincts Anakin had ever seen, but he worked better under that pressure. Despite that, he sorely lacked in other areas. If it was any other time in history, he doubted that Tru would have been a Knight at such a young age; he would require a few more years of training. But alas, the Jedi Order was in dire need of Jedi Knights, because they were dying at such a rhythm in this war that was very frightening. The thought alone made Anakin shudder. For some reason he didn't understand, the moment that thought crossed his mind he had a terrible feeling, a feeling of something tragic that was to come, something that somehow concerned the Jedi Order itself. He didn't know what it was, he couldn't identify it. It was too elusive, it was clouded by the Dark Side, as everything had been for years. He decided he would meditate on that at an appropriate time.</p><p>"Skywalker, they sent you," Tru looked puzzled. He was not rude or abrasive as he had been in their last encounter, but he surely seemed to expect any Jedi other than Anakin.</p><p>"Yeah, I was nearby," he shrugged.</p><p>"See? I told you they'd come looking for us here," Veld told his Padawan as Anakin and Jeswi observed the exchange.</p><p>"Yeah, I suppose you were right Master. Forgive me," young Tarn replied. At first glance, he seemed honest, but Anakin could sense the disdain coming from him. He didn't know whether it was disdain for his own Master or for the fact that he actually had to admit he was wrong. Jeswi and Anakin traded a glance, seemingly sensing the same thing about the Padawan, but they spoke nothing of it.</p><p>"Is this everyone who's left?" Anakin asked, interrupting the silent lesson that Veld was trying to give his Padawan with his eyes.</p><p>"Yes, at least everyone we could find. Thirteen troopers and the two of us," Anakin sighed. He was expecting more survivors, and he knew there were probably more, but he hadn't the faintest idea how to find them.</p><p>"Ok then, we should get going. The droids will be on our trail soon. This time, we run our way there," and so they did. They reached the ship in less than half the time that had taken them to reach the original coordinates. One cannot say that the trip was empty of setbacks. Several times, they ran by those annoying battle droids, but were able to eliminate them with ease. A few more casualties were to be reported, nonetheless, but at least the Jedi were safe and sound at the ship that eventually transported them back to Anakin's flagship that was waiting for them at a safe distance.</p><p>Explanations were due as they boarded the Resolute. Anakin wanted to ask what had happened during the battle but refrained to. He would be present in the Council meeting so he would get his answers soon enough.</p><p>"I don't know what happened back there," Tru said – against all of Anakin's expectations – as they waited for the connection with the Council and the Chancellor. Since the rescue, they hardly exchanged any words other than the strictly essential; even the clones realized that was some animosity between the two Jedi Knights. It was hard to miss. Usually Jedi communicated freely with each other, and always seemed to have nothing to hide while in the presence of their peers. However, those two were quite different.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"I mean in the battle. Something was… off," as Tru replied to Anakin the flickering holograms of Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Kenobi and the Supreme Chancellor appeared. The two Knights and their Padawans bowed respectfully before the meeting began.</p><p>"Successful the rescue was," Yoda began, as expected "To see you well brings joy to my heart,"</p><p>"Thank you Master. Eremin and I are very happy to see you again as well," Tru smiled.</p><p>"Knight Veld, would you care to tell us about the battle of Duro?" Master Windu asked, he was always one to get straight to the point. It made Anakin cringe. He knew the Jedi Master for many years, but he could never handle his coldness and detachment very well. But then again, his detachment was in detriment of one of the most serious attachments he had ever witnessed. He had come to realize for some time now that Mace Windu would do anything for the Republic, even sacrifice Jedi if need be. It had been hard to know the Korun Master so profoundly, but some time ago, he had realized that Mace had this blind loyalty to the Republic, and that his love for it could surpass anything. He wondered about Windu's abilities to see the flaws of the Republic, he wondered if it would eventually this blindness that lost them the war and the galactic institution as well.</p><p>"Master," Veld replied promptly "I honestly can't understand what happened. Half of the Republic's fleet was re-deployed to other locations just before the Separatists attacked,"</p><p>"What do you mean re-deployed?" Anakin asked.</p><p>"I mean they were gone, Anakin. The fleet was reduced to half right before the attack. That's why Jyvus was taken so easily by the Separatists,"</p><p>"Did the Council authorize this re-deployment?" Skywalker questioned.</p><p>"Authorize it the Council did not," Yoda replied as he shook his head pensively. It was clear that this was troubling him, and Anakin could understand well. He was no less intrigued than the old Master.</p><p>"And what about the Senate?" Young Tarn asked.</p><p>"Not to my knowledge," Palpatine was fast to reply. He had been silent so far, observing the disturbing looks on the Jedi's faces.</p><p>
  <em>He was probably quite pleased about it.</em>
</p><p>"We should start an investigation. There has to be a reason why the ships were gone. I sense Count Dooku in this," the young Padawan offered again. Anakin was even more intrigued now. It was not usual for a Padawan, especially one so young, to make such observations and suggestions before the Council. Then Anakin looked again closely and it was clear that the Padawan was not trying to reach the Jedi Masters but instead the Chancellor. He spoke directly to him, as if he was trying to convince him of something. Anakin looked at Palpatine's hologram, and he could swear he saw the slightest smirk, it lasted less than a second. However, the serious and preoccupied expression soon took control of his features again. Skywalker felt confused; maybe he was just imagining things. He tried to reach the Force but it was clouded, as it seemed to be too often lately, ever since the threat of the Sith had returned twelve years before. If he wasn't in the presence of his Masters and the Chancellor he would have groaned and complained loudly, but he refrained to.</p><p>"The young one is right," Palpatine replied. Eremin smiled and Anakin looked at his Master who was stroking his beard pensively. Anakin thought he would speak to Obi-Wan later and asked him if he had picked up on the interaction too or if it was just a figment of his imagination. This war was starting to trouble him, he was sure he needed some extended vacation by now, he was becoming paranoid "If something led those ships from their station without the Jedi Council's consent, something must be terribly wrong. We must investigate this matter. May I suggest that Master Skywalker leads this investigation?" Anakin didn't even have time to say anything when he heard Obi-Wan clearing his throat and speaking for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.</p><p>"Actually, your Excellency, Anakin will be unable to lead that investigation, he will be rather busy on Jedi business. May I suggest Knight Veld and his Padawan? They seem to be the most appropriate choice. After all, they were the ones present in the battle; they should know where to start. In addition, Knight Veld's skills as an investigator are quite remarkable," Anakin nodded, that was one of Veld's most prized skills, despite all his flaws.</p><p>"Very well," Palpatine agreed.</p><p>"To Coruscant leave at once, you will, Master Veld." Yoda ordered with his usual softness. Tru and his Padawan bowed in acceptance and all the holograms faded into nothing.</p><p>Anakin escorted Tru and Eremin to the hangar in silence. They left to Coruscant immediately. He couldn't lie; he was quite relieved to have them off his ship. Everyone noted the tension between them. It made Anakin sad; to think that he had actually been one of his best friends, to be in this situation now was very unfortunate. But now he was gone, to everyone's respite and Anakin could get to work again. He really was having Jedi business to attend to the next days. Finally he would be go somewhere in the Galaxy to do something not related to that frightful war. It had been so much time since the last time it happened, too much time.</p><p>He began preparing a ship to take off to his next destination. He smiled as he did so, he knew Jeswi was going to be excited. However, this would certainly be quite trying. Anakin knew she was ready, he was sure of it.</p><p>"Master, are you going somewhere?" Jeswi asked as she arrived to the hangar. Anakin was too distracted tuning the ship's hyperdrive to notice her presence.</p><p>"Nope, we both are," he smiled without turning his gaze from the work he was performing. He had always been good at fixing things, he liked it, it was soothing and above all, it was effortless. Everything was simpler when he was fixing things. Strangely enough, it gave him a sense of peace. It never lasted very long, but at that moment, when his hands were busy fixing a ship or a droid, Anakin was at peace.</p><p>"Where?" she asked when her Master took too long to elaborate.</p><p>"Ilum, it's time for you to build your own lightsaber," Anakin couldn't resist and looked at his young Padawan. She smiled, and her smile was so wide that Anakin could not help but widen his own. He had never seen his Padawan this happy before.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. What Might Be</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Palpatine stared at Coruscant's superb cityscape from his luxurious office's window. He was deep in thought, the wheels of Destiny were moving. Yes, the wheels of <em>his </em>glorious destiny were spinning delightfully. The war was progressing just the way he predicted, but he didn't want it to last too long, only long enough for the Senate to lose its fate on the Jedi, it was happening already. Oh yes, Palpatine was triumphing, he had transformed peacekeepers into warriors, just has he had foreseen. Planting the seeds of mistrust wasn't that hard at all. It all began the day he killed his Master, it was the right time, even though sometimes Sidious thought that there were things he had to learn yet. No, it was the right decision, because it was time for it all to begin. The old fool didn't even see it coming. Yes, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had a high opinion of himself and with good reason. His patience was paying off; he had the Senate bowing at his feet more and more every day. Buffoons! That's how he saw them, like the little dolls in his amusing puppet show, and he was pulling all the strings. The power… oh yes the power was gratifying! He loved it and he craved for more. And more would come, soon enough.</p><p>There was only one part of his plan that wasn't as successful as he had hoped it would be. Skywalker. Yes, he was becoming a problem and Palpatine always knew how to solve a problem. When Plagueis became an inconvenience, he had no scruple. He killed him; that is what happens when people stand in his way. But that boy wasn't to die. He would be the perfect slave, yes his slave. <em>For when one is born a slave, one will die a slave! </em>He was strong in the Force but terribly weak minded. He was perfect! Unfortunately, the Jedi had gotten to him far too soon. He didn't like it when it happened. He had foreseen things differently, but it was not a mistake, it was a simple… <em>miscalculation</em>, soon to be rectified.</p><p>Yes, he needed to move things along. He was failing to gain the boy's unconditional trust. If only he hadn't been brainwashed by the ludicrous Jedi. That's not how it was suppose to be. It was yet another miscalculation. When it came to Skywalker there were too many of them. Sometimes he wondered if he should just get the boy killed, if he failed to turn him the consequences could be far too tragic. However, the temptation was far too much to resist. With the Chosen One at his side his power would truly be unlimited. That's all he asked for anyway. A hymn to his <em>modesty. </em>The thought alone made him chuckle.</p><p>He closed his eyes and considered the pawns on his chess game. How would he solve this problem? He knew she was the key; Amidala was the final move on his game. But things hadn't progressed as he wished. He had to bring them together somehow; all this resistance from the boy was making the Dark Lord of the Sith impatient. And impatience wasn't a good trait when one was trying to gain control of an entire galaxy.</p><p>A new plan was in order. Certainly something had to be done, after all these years of trying he couldn't even conceive not reaching his goal when it came to transform this young man in the most powerful Sith Lord who ever lived. That could become troublesome at some point; the boy would try to take over, eventually. However, that was the Sith way, the law of the fittest and the rule of the stronger, this is how it had been for countless generations. The day would come and the one who left victorious would gain the power. It didn't really matter to him if it would be him or Skywalker. It was a strange kind of selflessness in the Sith tradition, their survival depended on that alone, and whoever his apprentice would be, he would be the future of the Sith, the future of the Empire he was about to create. Oh yes, it was so close. He could feel it coming, he could almost smell it and touch it. He just needed to bring the boy to his side, he just needed to hold him in the palm of his hand. He needed to speed up the wheels and he knew how to do it, the arrangements were being drawn in his mind, as if they were a painting, and he would not escape his grasp. He could see it all, and he would use love as his weapon. Oh, the irony…</p><p>He heard a knock on the door. The interruption annoyed him but he showed no sign of it as it began opening and his guests arrived. The truth was that he was already expecting them. For yet another day he would have to deal with the Jedi. How he loathed it! But it couldn't be helped, not for now, but soon they would be completely destroyed and he wouldn't have to see those self-righteous little bastards ever again. Death suited them so very well.</p><p>"Master Veld, how good to see you," he used the fakest smile he could muster. He would make a fine actor.</p><p>"Your Excellency," the young Knight bowed respectfully along with his young Padawan.</p><p>"Have you made any discoveries during your investigation, Master Jedi?" the Chancellor asked, with a concern that seemed so real.</p><p>"Unfortunately yes," Tru began, but was soon interrupted by his young Padawan.</p><p>"Actually, Master, I would say fortunately. This investigation only comes to show the corruption that is taking hold of the Senate. Maybe now, someone can do something about it," his Master gazed at him incredulously. He said nothing for a second, he was too surprised at his Padawan's outburst, but soon he regained his voice.</p><p>"You will know your place, my young Padawan. Only speak when spoken to and do not interrupt your Master," he admonished him, and he had no shame in doing so in front of the Supreme Chancellor. If it were any other situation, Eremin would feel uncomfortable, but not this time. What he wanted was the Chancellor to note him, to know that he existed. If he called enough attention maybe he would get the favour of the leader of the Republic.</p><p>"Forgive me, Master," Palpatine made sure he didn't interrupt the Master/Padawan interaction. Actually, he was finding it quite interesting. For the first time he met him, he noticed something intriguing about him. But now, now there was something remarkable. There was pain, there was anger, there were repressed feelings of all sorts encased within him. Yes, it was quite noteworthy, and he sensed that being noted was the young man's objective.</p><p>"As I was saying, your Excellency," Tru continued "While working with the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, we've made some unfortunate discoveries. The ships that were supposed to protect Duro, were sent to Rodia by Senator Coorr. After further investigation we've discovered that Senator Coorr was bribed by Senator Farr to do so,"</p><p>"This is grave indeed," the Chancellor replied pensively, "do you believe Senator Farr is in collusion with the Separatists?"</p><p>"I don't believe he is, I believe his only motivation was to enforce protection to his home world," he shook his head "The Bureau is working on an official report about the matter,"</p><p>"Good, that's good. Thank you so much for all your efforts, Master Jedi. Master Kenobi was quite right; your investigation was remarkable and very swift. The Republic is in debt to you,"</p><p>"It is my duty, Chancellor," he bowed before he left with his Padawan on his tail. Palpatine smiled; this was a good day indeed, not only he was very close to getting rid of Farr, one of his biggest obstacles in the Senate, but he had just gotten a backup plan. Yes, he would do quite well.</p><hr/><p>It had been so many years since Anakin's last visit to Ilum that he was shocked to be reminded of the hardship that it was to climb the mountains to access the Temple. Despite the heavy and warm clothing, the freezing wind kept leaving frost bites on the bits of skin that were exposed. They finally arrived at the entrance of the Jedi Temple. Anakin cringed as he saw it. The damage of the Separatist attack was still very visible, and he had a feeling that many years would go by before it would be completely restored. And even longer to remove the knowledge of its the location from unworthy hands.</p><p>"Master," he heard his Padawan called "I thought the Jedi Order harvested all the crystals after the battle, and took them back to Coruscant,"</p><p>"Not all of them. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought you here," he smiled. They were still outside, before entering he needed to speak to her. She should be prepared for the trials of Ilum. He'd never forget his own confrontation with Darth Maul when he had been there to build his very first lightsaber. Granted it wasn't real, but at the time it seemed real enough. "Jeswi, you know that this place has a very strong connection with the Force, don't you?" he asked.</p><p>"Yes Master," she answered as she stared at the half scattered entrance of the Temple.</p><p>"Building a lightsaber is not an easy task. You might experience things, visions, hallucinations. You must stay alert, concentrate on your task. Only that way you will be successful," the Knight warned her.</p><p>"I know," she half whispered, her voice was hardly audible among the whistles of the strong wind. Her young Master nodded and began walking towards the Temple. She shivered for some reason. She hadn't been nervous before, but now she had a dreadful feeling, she couldn't explain it, but it was there.</p><p>They entered and soon found themselves in the main hall. Once what had been a Temple filled with people was now a desert of ice and white. Very few Jedi came here anymore. Most of the crystals had been harvested and now most Jedi built their lightsabers on the Coruscant Temple. Anakin didn't agree with the Council's decision, he had a strong belief that every Jedi should build their first lightsaber in Ilum. He was quite conservative in that matter, for he believed that the experience of the caves was essential to a Jedi's life. It was a hardship that every Jedi should endure. Much could be learned among those stone icy walls, and that was the reason he decided to ignore the Council's recommendations and bring his Padawan there anyway.</p><p>"I'll wait for you here," Anakin said as he knelt on the floor. Jeswi had to do that alone, but her Master would be with her through the Force. The apprentice nodded and walked away, beginning her journey through the caves in search of the perfect crystal.</p><p>She walked slowly. It was so dark in there, but she wasn't afraid, at least not of the darkness. The natural light that the open entrance provided had long been left behind her, the only guide to her way were the occasional crystals that spread across the walls. She didn't pick any of those. For some reason she was expecting some kind of feeling when she saw the one she'd choose, so she just kept walking and climbing whenever she had to. She didn't know how long it had been, but she felt tired. Her eyelids were heavy but she was still standing, she would continue standing, because the feeling that invaded her as soon as she arrived hadn't left her yet. She remembered her Master's advice; she had to keep alert and concentrated. Yes, that was the most important thing to do. For some reason, she wished her Master were there with her. She thought of him, of all the things he taught her, she thought of his goodness and his loyalty. She knew there could be no other Master for her. Suddenly she sensed his presence, she looked around her but he was nowhere to be found. The presence began shifting, she could sense it so clearly, but there was no one there. It was different now, it was like sensing her Master but her Master was a completely different person. It made her feel uncomfortable.</p><p>"Master?" she whispered. She had to make sure he wasn't there. She heard no answer, but the feeling was persistent. So she called him again, this time louder.</p><p>"Jeswi," she heard someone. That was not her Master; his voice was different, she could hear him breathing loudly "Jeswi," the person called again. She looked behind her and what she saw made her take a step back. It was a man, a very tall man, in a black mask. He was frightening, he was terrifying and he was the source of that familiar, yet strange presence.</p><p>"Do you remember me?" the man in the black mask questioned.</p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p>"You know who I am. Search your feelings,"</p><p>"No, you're not my Master!" she said loudly. Her voice echoed throughout the empty walls of the cave.</p><p>"No, I'm not your Master. I am what might be,"</p><p>"What does that mean?"</p><p>"You must tell them, Jeswi," his voice was now stern. It sounded so much like an order.</p><p>"Tell them what?" his presence was becoming overwhelming. There was good in him, but it was buried so deeply inside of him.</p><p>"Tell them about him,"</p><p>"About who? I don't understand…" The man turned his head up and peered at a crystal.</p><p>"This one is perfect," he said before disappearing into thin air. Jeswi realized she was breathing heavily and that her heart was speeding inside her chest. She looked at her hands, they were trembling violently.</p><p>"Alert and concentrated," she reminded herself repeatedly. She wasn't even sure if she was saying it aloud. She closed her eyes and took a several deep breaths. It wasn't calming her, so she knelt and dived into the Force. It eventually helped her even though she didn't really know how long it had taken. She finally opened her eyes, she was still standing in the exact same spot. She looked at the place where the masked man had been and the crystal he had pointed to shone brightly. The feeling she was searching for finally invaded her. It was located on the ceiling of the cave. She was able to reach it with the help of the Force. Upon observing it, she realized the man was right, it was perfect. Now all she had to do was shape it and build it. She retrieved her backpack and produced all the necessary items to build her weapon, but her tool would have to be the Force so she closed her eyes once again and concentrated.</p><p>She was meditating, nothing more. She was meditating on how to construct the best possible weapon. She heard something familiar, the hiss of an igniting lightsaber and she saw a flash of red. She looked, Eremin was there, standing in front of her, scarlet lightsaber ignited.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" she asked him, her eyes glued to the legendary Sith weapon.</p><p>"Draw your weapon," he demanded.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Draw your weapon," he repeated. This time more slowly right before he positioned himself in an attack stance.</p><p>"Are you crazy? I'm not going to fight you!" Tarn's features turned into a slight smirk.</p><p>"That's why you'll fail," he attacked. She drew her lightsaber quickly and their blades clashed with a loud hiss. He kept attacking at a pace that she could barely keep up with. She had watched him spar before, but this was different. There was such a passion, such a hate in his moves. She couldn't understand it. As she defended herself from one of his relentless attacks he jumped back. He lowered his weapon. He stood there and stared at her and she looked into his eyes, they were yellow and bloodstained. How had she missed that before?</p><p>"You're weak," he spat "as weak as the rest of them!"</p><p>"Eremin, what are you doing? I don't recognize you," she said, she could hear her own voice cracking and feel hot tears running down her face.</p><p>"Eremin Tarn is dead! I am power itself!" Jeswi stared at him and was silent for some time. But then, she looked into his eyes again and she got her answer.</p><p>"You're a Sith Lord," she said, more a realization than a question.</p><p>"I am what might be!" Jeswi froze as he raised his blade again. As she saw it coming towards her, for one final blow, she shut her eyes tightly. He was going to kill her and she could not bring herself to even defend herself. The moment she felt the blade touch her neck she opened her eyes. She was still alive, she was still alone and she was still knelt at the exact same place she was before. She was now barely able to breathe; she raised her hand and touched her forehead. She felt the sweat running down her face and soak the strands of her golden hair. Then she couldn't help it, she started crying. What did it all mean? What had happened? Was that the future? Why had the man in the mask and Eremin said the exact same thing?</p><p>
  <em>I am what might be…</em>
</p><p>What did it mean? She had to know, she needed to know.</p><p>Finally the tears stopped. She dried her face with the sleeve of her robes and she could feel her breathing return to a regular pace. She was finally able to concentrate on her surroundings. She looked at her knees, and there it was, a lightsaber, completely new. She had built it. She had drawn plans for it, during their trip to Ilum, she had memorized them, she knew what to do, but she couldn't remember making it. Had it been while she was fighting with Eremin in her mind?</p><p>She picked it up and ignited it. The blade was blue, just like her Master's. She remembered him, he was waiting for her. Jeswi stood and left towards the entrance of the Temple.</p><p>His eyes were closed, his mind deep immersed in the endless beauty of the Force. Ilum was truly a place that helped reach that deep level of connection to the Force, a connection Anakin had been failing to reach in depth over the last two years, ever since the Clone Wars had begun. He didn't feel tired as he saw the colors of the Force, as he listened to its soothing music, as he watched it flow so perfectly in peace. It had been so long since he had seen it like this, so pure, so right. It had been three days since he arrived in Ilum and he sent his Padawan on her quest, and Anakin kept awaiting her return. He occasionally left his meditative state in order to rest and feed his tiring body, but he soon returned to it, mainly because he needed it and it brought him a sense of serenity that he didn't remember feeling anymore. He sensed his stay in Ilum was coming to an end soon, so he took advantage of the last hours that he would get to stay there. Before the war Anakin was never too fond of meditation, but now it had become a need, more so than a pleasure. And the fulfillment of this need sometimes ended up giving him some pleasure.</p><p>He looked around him. The Force came in many colors, sometimes it was pink like the blanket of a newborn baby girl, some time it was green as a new leaf on a tree, but this time it was blue. It appeared to him like an endless ocean of quiet waters, he could almost feel the breeze caress his cheeks. It was such a beautiful place to behold. He looked down and there was white sand under his feet, it was soft and inviting. On the horizon the blue of the sapphire sea of the Force merged with the lighter see of its skies; and there two bursts of glowing yellow colored it, giving it its light shade.</p><p>"Anakin," he heard a familiar voice call him, muffled by the sound of the waves that insistently broke on the shore, but recognizable nonetheless. It was she; it was his dream and his nightmare, his joy and his despair, his inner peace and his inner battle. He wondered how she could be so much and so little at the same time.</p><p>"Padmé," he replied as she came into his line of sight. She was so beautiful, her curly, chocolate hair fell softly over her shoulders and he noticed she was wearing the same dress she did when they kissed on that warm afternoon on the grassy plains of Naboo. She took his hand in hers and he peered at their joined fingers, he noticed the glove he wore to cover his artificial limb was gone. She caressed his metallic fingers softly; he could feel it so clearly.</p><p>"I'm not Padmé, you know that," he knew it but he did not care. That moment was perfect and he would not let it go. If a dream was all he could have he would take it wholeheartedly. She released his hand and her warm one stroked his face. She came near him and finally embraced him before their lips joined in a tender kiss, an uninterrupted one. It was a dream, or a vision, he wasn't sure. But whatever it was the Force was offering it to him and he welcomed it. Her lips spread butterfly kisses across his cheeks but then she stopped, just as she reached his ear.</p><p>"You must let her go, Anakin," she breathed in his ear.</p><p>"I don't want to…" he whispered.</p><p>"You must. Look," and just like that she was gone. He couldn't feel her touch anymore, or her breath hitting his skin, or the warmth of her body pressed against his. He opened his eyes. He was in the Jedi Temple now, standing in front of the Council Chamber's door on Coruscant. This scenario was far too familiar to mistake. He heard screams in the background but he didn't know where they came from. He ignored them, at much cost, and opened the door. The room was dark. He stood for a second there before entering and looked at the window; the sun was almost completely set. Anakin stepped forward and as he did so a few younglings that were hiding came to him. Their expressions pleaded for help. Anakin could feel despair, fear, agony, pain and so many aching feelings emanating from them that he could hardly bring himself to describe them.</p><p>"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?" one of the little ones asked. He was so scared, but Anakin didn't know what to tell him, he did not have an answer, was he supposed to have one? He didn't even know what was happening how could he know what he should do. He just stared at the younglings, completely at a loss of what to say or do. Then he felt her against his back again, her breath was caressing his ear once more.</p><p>"It doesn't have to happen, Anakin. You don't have to do it," she whispered.</p><p>"Do what? I don't understand…"</p><p>"There's always a choice. The future is always in motion. You must let her go in order to change what might be," Anakin still didn't understand but was now aware he wouldn't, not until the Force wanted him to. He closed his eyes, he felt himself wanting to cry so desperately. He felt so lost, so confused, so… <em>conflicted. </em>Yes, that was always his problem, conflict. A tear ran down his face as he continued to hear the increase of the screams in the background. Where did they come from? What was happening? He desperately had to know! He decided to go to search for his answer; but when he opened his eyes only the walls of the Temple of Ilum surrounded him.</p><p>He was somehow relieved. What did all that mean and why was it coming to him now? There had to be an explanation. But in the end, it hadn't happened, whatever it was that was happening in his visions. He didn't know what it was, he actually was afraid to discover. He ran his hand down his face. Suddenly he felt so tired and his knees and back ached from being in the same attitude for so long. He looked for peace whilst meditating and yet the Force only gave him doubt. Why did it always speak in riddles? Why couldn't it just show him a clear path instead of sending him on a torturous journey? Did it even mean anything at all? He wanted to think that it didn't, that it was just a bad taste joke that his mind was telling him, but he couldn't. A message from the Force always had a meaning, however strange it might be. He thought of Padmé again, of the real one. He missed her. And then he reflected on what the vision Padmé said. He wanted to forget it, he wanted the memory gone from his brain and yet it was nagging him like a small rock in his boot. He did not want to let her go, what he wanted to do was let her in. He had been considering it quite often over the past few months, maybe because he felt so alone or maybe because for once in his life he wanted to be just a little selfish and have something that was his and his alone. Was it that much to ask? Was it too much to want? To be free to love her and be with the one he cared for. Did the Order that claimed to have freed him merely bought him to have him pledge his life as its own slave? Perhaps that's what Jedi were, slaves made to believe that they were special and superior and worst of all, made to believe they were free and that their restraint was based on principles and not on the will that they didn't have a chance to form. They were babies and toddlers when they were taken to the Temple, how could they ever have a say in their fate if they didn't have the simple ability to decide to go or not. The Order would claim they were free to leave as they very well pleased. But were they? Were they not trapped by the teachings that were drilled into their minds ever since they could hardly walk?</p><p>He scolded himself for having such thoughts. How could he be so unfair? If it wasn't for Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order he would probably still be a slave working for nothing but food and a ceiling on the harsh desert of Tatooine. Or maybe he would just be dead, like most of the people who were born into the condition of slavery; beaten to death while infants, made to work until they drop dead while younglings. Whatever fate awaited him, had not been the Jedi, was far worse than the one he had to endure now. But maybe, just maybe, he could be with her, with Padmé. Maybe he could be free one day, and he would never be free if he was a Jedi.</p><p>He didn't know what to think. He was conflicted again, it became painful to carry such feelings around constantly. They were heavy and he had to endure them every day of his life. He felt grateful and yet resentful towards the Jedi, and he felt useful and a pawn in regards to himself.</p><p>"Master," he heard his Padawan's voice and got on his feet immediately. He watched her as she entered the main hall of the Temple from the caves. She looked so incredibly tired "I did it," she said as she came closer to him. She held the lightsaber in her hand and gave it to her Master to inspect as soon as she closed the distance between them. He held it in his hand, felt its weight, looked at his coverings, inspected if it matched the designs that Jeswi had prepared with his help on their way there. He finally ignited it and a blue blade shone brightly.</p><p>"Good job, Jes. I'm proud of you," he smiled as he handed the weapon back to its rightful owner "Always remember that this weapon is your life," he told her just as his Master had told him many times before.</p><p>"I'll try not to forget," she giggled.</p><p>"Good. Let's go home, then. We'll talk about what happened in there later, alright? You need some rest first," Jeswi was desperate to tell her Master about the visions that plagued her during her trip and he clearly sensed it. Either it was because she was broadcasting those feelings too loudly through their bond or because he just knew it would happen, but she suspected it was the first. Despite that she didn't say anything, she just nodded and followed him out of the Temple into the freezing wind of Ilum to return to the ship. She didn't mind speaking later, she was so tired. Her Master was right, she did need rest, and even more than that, she needed to think about what she was going to tell her Master exactly. The man in the black mask, how was she going to explain that? How was she going to tell him that she had the strong feeling that that man was actually the man she admired most in the whole galaxy? How can one bring herself to say something like that? She needed to sleep, maybe if she did it would all become clearer.</p><p>The hours that took them to reach the ship seemed like days to Anakin. He was tired, those visions had been worse than five days of battle. Maybe he should talk to Obi-Wan when he arrived to Coruscant. And another thing was bothering him. Jeswi was, for the lack of a better word, anxious, incredibly anxious. She had seen something, he was sure of it, and through their bond, she couldn't hide that she needed to speak about what she had seen. Honestly, after his own personal experience, he was almost afraid of hearing it. In any case, he was too tired for it at that moment, as was she. So he sent Jeswi to sleep, he programmed the navicomputer, got the ship into hyperspace and headed to the quarters to get some rest himself, hoping that after a few hours of sleep would be enough to make his mind more receptive to answers.</p><p>Five hours later, he woke up. He looked around him and the bunk where Jeswi had been sleeping on before was now empty. Anakin went to the cockpit and his Padawan was seated on the co-pilot chair, not really doing anything, just thinking.</p><p>"Are you feeling better?" he asked as he took his usual seat and checked the data on the ship's systems and the navicomputer. There would still be a few jumps and therefore a few days for them to reach Coruscant, the trip to and from Ilum wasn't an easy one.</p><p>"I'm alright, Master," she replied. Anakin sensed she didn't know whether she should speak of what happened or not. He still didn't want to hear it, but he figured he couldn't avoid it, so he just went ahead and braced himself for whatever it was that was to come.</p><p>"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, inviting her to share whatever it was she wanted to share. She nodded but only stared at her lap, where her fingers were nervously picking on the fabric of her trousers.</p><p>"I saw things, terrible things," Anakin sighed but said nothing more. He just waited for her to continue, and she eventually did "I saw Eremin, he wanted to fight me, and he did fight me. And then I realized a horrible thing, Master. He… he had turned to the Dark Side. He was a Sith Lord,"</p><p>"A Sith Lord?" he asked incredulously "Are you sure about this, Jes,"</p><p>"Yes, yes I am. I could feel it Master! The Dark Side, he reeked of it, it surrounded him. It was horrible. I could see his yellow eyes, like it says in Temple Archives about the Sith. And I asked him too, he didn't confirm it but the way he acted it was like he did. Master, do you think he's a Sith Lord?"</p><p>"No, he's not!"</p><p>"Will he be one?" Anakin took a deep breath before answering.</p><p>"I don't know, Jes," he said honestly. "There's something about him that I don't like. Anger, pride, hate… but I don't know if that makes him a Sith. The truth is that the dark side has been clouding our visions for so long now, we can't even see that years ago would be obvious," he shook his head.</p><p>"That wasn't all, Master. I saw something else," she continued after a long silence.</p><p>"What else did you see, Jes?" she just told him she saw a Sith Lord and she seemed even more scared about revealing this vision. What could be worse than a Sith Lord?</p><p>"There was this man, he had a black mask. He was so frightening. He was the one who told me what crystal to use, but he told me more things. He told me I had to tell <em>them </em>about <em>him </em>and that he was what might be. Eremin said the exact same thing too… But this man, he was like Eremin… the Dark Side surrounded him so strongly. There was good in him, but it was buried so deeply I could hardly feel it!" what might be, Padmé had said the same thing in his vision. Anakin was now sure that his visions were related to his Padawan's. But how? What was the connection, what were the pieces that were missing?</p><p>"Do you know this man?" the Master asked.</p><p>"I don't know… there was something familiar about him, but different at the same time. Master, please don't be mad at me," she pleaded.</p><p>"Of course I won't be mad at you. Who was it?"</p><p>"I think it was you, Master. But it wasn't you at the same time. I can't explain. But I'm not sure. You see it was just a feeling that it was you, I-I can't be sure. It was this sensation I had, that he felt like you. But… I don't know…" a tear fell down her cheek and Anakin was speechless. He just stared at her. The screams in the Jedi Temple, him in a black mask, <em>he didn't have to do it. </em>What? Do what?</p><p>"I'm sorry, Master," she pleaded sheepishly as she dried her tears with her sleeve.</p><p>"I'm not mad at you, Jes. You have to tell the Council about this, you know that, don't you?" Anakin asked as soon as he found his voice.</p><p>"I'm not telling them I thought it was you! I won't do that to you, Master,"</p><p>"Are you sure it was me?" she vigorously shook her head in response "Then do what you feel is right,"</p><p>Anakin felt so confused. What was happening? What was this that was going on around him, with him? Was Jeswi right? Was that man in a black mask with the stench of the Dark Side the thing that he might become one day? It couldn't be, it wouldn't be! He couldn't let it happen, he had to stop it! But how? And what exactly did he have to stop? If only he knew. He felt helpless, hopeless, useless. Was this the thing that didn't have to happen? Was this the thing that the Padmé in his dream was warning him about? He didn't know, but it all seemed so completely unrelated. He couldn't see how the younglings in the Temple had anything to do with a black mask. He sighed in defeat.</p><p>What was he going to do now?</p><hr/><p>Jeswi retold her story of the Ilum caves to the Jedi Council, as her Master stood beside her. A tale that was listened to in complete silence by a completely awed audience. And more awed it would be if she hadn't decided to withhold her suspicions as to the identity of the man in the black mask. She couldn't betray her Master in such a way and she wasn't sure. She couldn't tell the Council something that she wasn't sure of when she knew they would take it as fact. Jedi gave much respect to visions, and what she felt was nothing but that, a feeling, an impression. No, she wouldn't say anything. She shielded this part of her compartmented mind heavily, just as her Master had taught her, and told only what she believed was important. As for Anakin, he didn't tell them of his visions either. First of all because it would be a blatant admission that he was breaking the Jedi Code, and because he really didn't know what to say. What he had seen was vague, to say the least. Children hiding, people screaming, that was it. There was really nothing of significance to share. The impact of his visions were for him to deal with, alone, like it always had to be.</p><p>"Walking down a dark path young Tarn has been for a long time," Master Yoda observed pensively before he sighed and spoke again "Proof is all we needed,"</p><p>"Master Yoda, with all due respect, a vision of the Force can hardly be qualified as proof," Anakin interjected. The way the Jedi Order dealt with things was rash. Considering a vision proof could very well result that made the medicine worse than the disease. His recent frustrations towards the Order didn't help him cope with their decisions in peace either. He had to speak his mind.</p><p>"Much anger I sense, in young Tarn. Turning away from the light he has been, ever since you took your Padawan. Sense it I could. Nothing about it we could do. Tried to get him to walk through the path of light, we have, through young Veld. Failed he has," the old Master clarified "Unfit to be a Jedi Eremin Tarn is,"</p><p>"But Master, if you expel him, won't he just be angrier? See what happened to Dooku! And you must understand, Jeswi's vision could very well be nothing but a reflection of her stranded relationship with the boy. It doesn't necessarily mean he'll become a Sith Lord," the young Knight said, hoping against hope that it was true.</p><p>"Anakin, Dooku left the Order on his own accord," Obi-Wan spoke for the first time.</p><p>"I know, Master. What if he had stayed. Maybe things could have been different… I just don't think that this is enough to make this decision. The Jedi Order is all he knows, it's all <em>we </em>know. It's our life! If you take it from him, won't it make matters worse?"</p><p>"The Council will decide what to do with young Tarn. You are dismissed, Skywalker," Mace sternly reminded the Knight of his place. Anakin looked at his Master, who sat on his usual spot among the Councilors. He wore a grave expression. Anakin hoped he would come to his agreement but he never did. When no one else said anything, he bowed respectfully and led his Padawan out of the Council Chamber. He was feeling helpless, he doubted expelling the boy would help him walk on the path of light again, but there was nothing more he could do. He had tried and failed. Yet, despite knowing that the young man would soon be ditched from the ranks of the Jedi, he had a feeling that it would not take too long for them to meet again, though that feeling was not comforting in any way.</p><p>Anakin stopped himself just before he walked through the door and gazed at the group of Jedi Masters again. There was one more thing he needed to know.</p><p>"What about the man in the black mask? What do you think of that?"</p><p>"Know, I do not. Meditate on it, I will," Yoda replied and Anakin finally left the Council Chamber even more conflicted than he was when he came in.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Plea For Peace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anakin had too much time on his hands. Sometime before he would've welcomed it, but ever since his visit to Ilum months ago his visions plagued him every time he closed his eyes whether he did it to sleep or to just meditate, so he avoided both as much as he could. Now he was on leave, back to Coruscant, for the first time in six months and he found himself with too little to do and too much to think of. He would've given lessons to his Padawan during the whole course of the day, but even a willing young Jedi gets tired, thus he just had to leave her be occasionally.</p><p>That morning he decided to take his speeder and fly through the skies of Coruscant. Having the machine under his power made him feel good. At least machines were something he could understand, compensating for the lack of comprehension of many other things. But wandering about with no destiny seemed so fruitless, and Anakin wasn't used to just stand around doing nothing, therefore the task seemed all too simplistic. Eventually the young Knight got lost in his miserable thoughts again. The kiss she had given him in his visions in Ilum had plagued him for months. He yearned for more; he deserved more, but he knew he couldn't have what he wanted. He had to let her go, she said it herself through the Force, as if she knew that nothing good would ever come of it. But Anakin could not. How would he do such a thing? How would he bear this war, this life, if he had nothing but the Force to hold on to? And though the Force was undeniably a powerful ally, it lacked her warmth. No, he could not, and even if he could he would not know how, and had he known how he wasn't sure he wanted to. Wouldn't it cost him all the humanity that was left in him? All he knew was that for years he had this lingering feeling within him and it refused to abandon him, or maybe he was the one who refused to release it. He wasn't sure anymore, but he doubted he really wanted to think about it.</p><p>And through all his musings Anakin Skywalker felt ungrateful; ungrateful towards the ones who had saved him from a less than desirable destiny. Was it that hard to follow a simple set of rules? It was... his Master had once told him that it would always be hard, that it would never get any easier because he was just human. His Master was right. The Jedi Knight couldn't help but feel that by loving Padmé he was betraying the Jedi Order, and worst, he felt he was betraying Obi-Wan; the man who raised him, his best friend, his brother, his father; the man who had asked him once to hold on and be strong. Anakin laughed an utterly unamused chuckle. To be strong? He was claimed to be one of the strongest Jedi who had ever lived, the very child of the Force itself and yet how weak he was. The blatant irony of his life, the enormous stupidity of it all. He could hardly believe it.</p><p>His train of thought was making him feel incredibly tired, so he set them aside. He had been piloting his speeder on little more than instinct, and were it not for the reliable Force as his constant companion he was sure he would've crashed by now. He decided to stop, and as he ventured to actually look around him he noticed he was looking straight into the 500 Republic penthouse. Another dry chuckle left his lips. Had the Force betrayed him, or it was it trying to tell him something? Or maybe it had absolutely nothing to do with the Force and his overwhelming desire to be there was the very thing that drove him down that path? It didn't really matter anyway, what mattered was that he still couldn't understand the meaning of it all. However Anakin should already know that there are things that aren't meant to be understood. One thing was fact, he had a deep connection to the Force, he had always had it, he remembered it from his early memories of Tatooine with his mother, rare as they were. As a result, deep down he knew that the Force had taken him there.</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps it wanted him to finally give in to his feelings?</em>
</p><p>He had hoped it was the case, but he knew better than that. The visions the Force had brought him told him the complete opposite, quite blatantly in fact. Maybe it was just trying to torture him then. Anakin was so close to just give in and at last find some reason to have something of his own. He smiled at the thought of the family he could never have. Padmé would be his wife and if he wasn't a Jedi he would've liked to have two children: a boy and a girl. That would be happiness; that would be bliss. His daughter would look just like her mother, beautiful and headstrong and his son would be strong with the Force, like a true Skywalker. Yes, that would have been wonderful. But he could have nothing of the sort and this thought transformed his smile into a sadness he wasn't sure he could ever overcome.</p><p>The speeder had been stopped for some time now and despite the distance he could see her balcony clearly. He stayed and watched it a little longer. He felt odd by doing so but it couldn't be helped. Maybe he was losing his mind. Dusk was already stealing the horizon and it made him remember the younglings in his vision; they were so afraid, panicked, desperate and when faced with the offensive memory, he knew that it was time for him to leave. But as he ignited his speeder to depart she arrived, brushing her lovely hair gracefully, watching the cityscape pensively. So beautiful... So, so beautiful! Anakin rested his hands on his lap once again, deciding against leaving just yet. He was going to stay, just for a little while longer. No harm would come of it. Maybe he could go talk to her? Just to say hello and ask how she was...</p><p>
  <em>There wasn't any harm in that, was there?</em>
</p><p>No, there couldn't be, Anakin lied to himself. He finally started the speeder and drove towards her.</p>
<hr/><p>Padmé loved looking at Coruscant at that time of the day. It was beautiful. So different from the paradise that her home planet of Naboo was, and yet equally magnificent, at least form where she stood. But despite all the beauty that surrounded her, whether it was the city planet where she worked or the one that had watched her grow, there was always a sadness within her that she couldn't seem to be able to prevail over. She knew where it came from, but she shunned her thoughts and buried herself in her work, for her mission was important enough. All she wanted was peace and she fought for it with all the strength she could muster, even when all she wanted to do was lay down and cry.</p><p>
  <em>Padmé Amidala wished she had never met Anakin Skywalker...</em>
</p><p>But, much to her dismay, the past could not be undone, could it? No, it could not, so she worked and worked. She made herself so busy that entire days went by without her thinking of him, but she always did eventually, all the times she had one free second, or whenever she saw him walking through the corridors of the Senate building, more often than not heading to or leaving the Chancellor's office. Sometimes she just watched him pass by without saying a word, but other times, when she felt brave enough, she would call out his name and speak to him. Their conversations were always short, but when they happened she realized that Anakin always said more than he intended to. He was always a little awkward around her, a trait that she found very endearing. But the last few times she had the opportunity of exchanging some words with him she noticed some of the awkwardness had begun to dissipate. It was as if something was different and she was sure that it was because he was growing up. She was happy for him, the young Padawan who had taken her for Naboo for protection had become a man, a Jedi Knight. Padmé only felt sorry that she wasn't there to watch it happen.</p><p>The speeder that was approaching caught her attention. It was blue, but something about it made her heart race, it had the Jedi symbol carefully painted on its side and she hoped against all hope that it would be Anakin.</p>
<hr/><p>The young Knight parked the speeder in front of the balcony. He could see her watching him intently, but he didn't open the cockpit immediately. He stayed there just for a moment, thinking of what to do and even though he hadn't produced an answer she already knew he was there, so there was little option for it was too late to go back now. He took a deep breath and left the speeder, jumping the small distance to the spacious balcony. He looked at her, through the Force he sensed that her heart had stopped for just a moment and when it started beating again she smiled. There it was, that beautiful smile that he had missed so much.</p><p>"Master Skywalker, what a surprise it is to see you here," she greeted him. Anakin's voice was stuck in his throat, so instead of answering he smiled and bowed respectfully. "Please come in," the Senator started as she led the Knight towards the ample living room. Padmé took a seat on the large, curved sofa and Anakin followed suit, taking the seat next to hers. She noticed his silence and decided to start a conversation.</p><p>"What brings you here, Master Jedi?" she asked and received only a shrug as an immediate answer. But Anakin's silence was beginning to bother him more than it bothered her, so he finally decided he would speak.</p><p>"Nothing of significance," he offered after clearing his throat. "I was nearby and decided to come and see you," Padmé smiled at the bad excuse and remained silent for a moment. She really didn't know what to say.</p><p>"How goes the war?" Anakin flinched at the question, but she seemed serious enough, and yet he had not gone there to speak of those horrors.</p><p>"War never goes well Senator, it <em>is </em>war," that was the Jedi response. What he really meant to say was that he was so very tired of it and that he couldn't foresee its ending anytime soon, which pained him greatly. However he didn't want to pour all his worries and frustrations on her, she had too much resting on her shoulders already, for he knew she was fighting as much as he was to end this war, even if it was in her own arena.</p><p>"Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?" the Senator asked pensively, not really looking at him.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"What if the democracy we thought we were saving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?"</p><p>Anakin couldn't help but to let out a an empty chuckle "If I didn't know you better I would say you sound like a Separatist,"</p><p>"Anakin," she started vigorously "this war represents a failure to listen… Now you're closer to the Chancellor than anyone. Please ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume," she pleaded of him. How desperate she sounded. He held her hand instinctively and laid it on his lap.</p><p>"Unfortunately I do not have that power Padmé; I am not close to the Chancellor as you think, but I hope you believe me when I tell you that no one wishes the end of this war as much as I do…"</p><p>"But you're wrong! The Chancellor respects you, he listens to you… Rumor grows in the Senate that he wishes to appoint you his personal representative in the Jedi Council now that he has the power to nominate one," Anakin immediately shook his head.</p><p>"I know nothing of such rumors Padmé, and I assure you that they are nothing but lies. Nor would I accept such a heavy burden. Besides the Council selects its own members, not to mention that I'm not even a Master, therefore I couldn't possibly be on the Council, not even at the Chancellor's request," he wasted no time in clarifying the situation. But after a heavy sigh he continued, "I don't know what kind of lies people have told you… But Padmé, please trust me when I say that I am doing all I can to end this war as soon as possible. I miss… I miss being a Jedi. I am no soldier, as you well know, and we're not supposed to be making war, we're supposed to bring peace and equality to the Republic. The things I've seen, that I've faced… so much blood spilled. That is not the Jedi way…" Anakin noticed that her hand was still within his as she pressed it slowly, as if she was assuring him that she knew he was doing all he could. And even though he didn't consider his efforts to be nearly enough, it felt good that someone felt that they were.</p><p>In that moment he felt her love through the Force, her care and understanding, and no words were necessary. If he could he would just leave everything behind right then and there and he would leave, he'd leave with Padmé by his side. He wanted to run away from the war, from the Chancellor, from the Jedi Order… he wanted to run away from everything he had ever known and just start afresh.</p><p>The Knight closed the small gap that separated him from Padmé and bestowed a gentle kiss on her lips. Oh how he had wanted it… just like that, with no interruptions and no scruples; with no regrets. And as he savored her lips he thought that it was so much better than his dreams.</p><p>"We shouldn't have done that…" Padmé said quietly moments after the kiss was broken, her forehead resting on his.</p><p>"I know…" the Jedi responded and yet neither of them moved an inch. It was as if they were trying to perpetuate that moment, like it was their final one…</p>
<hr/><p>Anakin's comlink rang furiously waking him up from an unsettling sleep filled with visions and dreams. He hadn't looked at it yet but he already knew who it was. As he answered his suspicions were confirmed. Chancellor Palpatine wanted to see the Jedi Knight in the Senate building. He had been expecting this call because it always happened every time he was on leave and these were his last few hours before he and his young Padawan were to set off for yet another mission. The Chancellor's requests for his presence no longer surprised him; it had become a habit ever since the war begun. Perhaps that was the reason why the rumors about him being the representative of the Chancellor in the Jedi Council had begun spreading. But despite the falsehood of the gossip Anakin couldn't think of any reason for the Chancellor's fondness of him. He didn't like it, he didn't trust him and the more he called him into his sumptuous office the less he was fond of the supreme leader of the Republic. He didn't understand why, in fact, Palpatine had never been anything but nice and cordial towards him, but Anakin couldn't really understand the extreme affability that came from him since he had no more friendship with him than any other Jedi, at least none other than the one that was forced upon him.</p><p>He made the short way between the Jedi Temple and the Senate building slowly, he wasn't really looking forward to the visit because he had been thinking too much. The things Padmé told him had stuck with him. The doubt was in him, and now he couldn't rid himself of it. Were they on the wrong side? And if they were then why and how had that happened? Was it because the Chancellor was in power for a lot longer than he should've been? Was it because there was too much power in one man's hands or was it because the Jedi Order could no longer stand on its own and was nothing more than a pawn in the corrupt game of the Senate? Too many questions were hovering over him and yet he found too little answers. He gave himself a minute of introspection before leaving his speeder. He thought of Padmé, but not of the Senator who made the desperate plea for help at ending the war that plagued the galaxy, but of the woman who he held in his arms so close and tight. How he had yearned for her. He didn't even know how much he wanted it; only then he realized how greatly he needed her. It had been two years, going on three, that he was trying to bury all the feelings that he had inside of him; and the more he tried to bury them the more they grew. That's what he realized as he held her tightly and kissed her soft scarlet lips. It was nothing more than a kiss; as two teenagers living their first love, but it was more than he could ever hope for and it was certainly more than he had ever dreamed of. He could've stayed in her arms forever, feeling the heat of her body close to him, but alas the Jedi Council had asked his presence and he hastened his leave. He hastened it far too much. But on the other hand he welcomed the interruption, for the longer he stayed the further down a forbidden path he would be. Forbidden and yet so desired. He hadn't seen the Senator since; it was almost a week ago. He hoped that he would see her today, he knew that a session of the Senate had just adjourned so he more hoped than expected to at least see her roaming the corridors of the great building of democracy.</p><p>A tap on his cockpit glass interrupted his thoughts. A Senate guard was requiring him to leave. Apparently it was illegal to park and stay in the speeder in front of the Senate. For security reasons obviously but Anakin couldn't help but roll his eyes nonetheless. He was a Jedi after all. What were the guards expecting him to do? Kill the Chancellor? He let out an amused chuckle before exiting his vehicle to meet Palpatine. He took long strides across the ornamented corridors. His journey towards the Chancellor's office didn't afford him a view of Padmé, but he hoped the walk back would give him the privilege of seeing her. The Chancellor made him wait for almost an hour. He didn't like it and as much as he respected how much work a man in his position had, he had a mission and an eager Padawan waiting for him. Of course he didn't bring Jes, he had quit bringing her along to the Senate years ago, or maybe she had just stopped going; he wasn't sure. It wasn't just because she found it incredibly boring, which he couldn't deny: he did also; but whenever she went the Chancellor seemed to find her presence most unwelcome and just left her outside, waiting for hours whilst they discussed details of war and its never-ending politics. At first it made him want to just be stubborn and keep taking her, but as the months went by he realized poor Jeswi hadn't done anything to deserve such foul punishment.</p><p>"Anakin, please forgive me! I've kept you waiting for so long," Palpatine offered affably as he opened the door for him to enter. He had developed the habit of speaking to him on a first name basis for some time now, as if they were old friends. Usually no one outside the Order called him Anakin, not that he minded, but it always felt odd when the name came from someone who wasn't a Jedi, or Padmé.</p><p>"That's quite alright," he lied; and as he did a flicker on the Chancellor's eyes seemed to know that he did. Was that amusement? Anakin cringed but said nothing of it. "You wanted to see me your Excellency?" he asked.</p><p>"Yes, Anakin, yes! Our clone intelligence is working quite hard on finding General Grievous. They have a lead… Apparently he is somewhere on the Outer Rim Territories. We are close to pinpointing his location!" he informed him in a most animated tone.</p><p>"That is great news," Anakin said, offering him a fake smile. It actually wasn't very great news for several reasons. First of all the Outer Rim Territories were large, to say the least, and secondly because it was quite predictable. It was more than known that if anyone wished to hide, there was no place like the Outer Rim. "I am most eager to end this war," Anakin added to set the tone for the remainder of their conversation. He couldn't have missed the opportunity.</p><p>"Yes, we all are. The Senate is doing the best within their possibilities," the elder man said pensively. "But until we capture General Grievous and Count Dooku I'm afraid the war will continue…"</p><p>"Perhaps we don't have to capture them to end the war, perhaps if the power rested fully on the hands of the Senate again the conflict could be resolved through the diplomatic approach," the Chancellor took a deep sigh upon hearing the young Knight's suggestion and sat on his chair, as if he were a very old man in desperate need of rest. Anakin took the chance to use the seat across the desk.</p><p>"Anakin," he started slowly, "The Senate gave me these emergency powers and begged me to take charge of this war until we see it through. I am not about to break the promise I made to the Republic,"</p><p>"I am not asking you to break a promise, I am asking you to fulfill one. With all due respect your Excellency, your promise was to end the war, not fight it to the last possible consequences. Honestly I foresee no ending to it, and I fight it every day. If there could be a way of hastening its end, of saving millions of lives across the galaxy, why shouldn't we take it?"</p><p>"Master Jedi," his tone changed. It was obvious that Anakin's words had somehow affected him and he was glad they did. "What makes you so sure the Separatists are as eager to negotiate as you seem to be?"</p><p>"I have not been given the chance to find out whether they are or not," he offered simply.</p><p>"And how would you intend to engage in diplomatic negotiations with Count Dooku and General Grievous? Do you think they would sit down and listen to you? That they would respect your peace conditions? Do you imagine they would surrender? No, Master Skywalker, they would not. They would kill you the moment you appeared in front of them with your weapons laid down. That's how Separatists are…" his tone was stern, and he sounded almost offended.</p><p>"I have no answers to your questions, but what I do know is that I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore. I don't recognize the Republic anymore nor do I recognize the principles it used to follow,"</p><p>"Perhaps you feel this too keenly, Anakin," his toned softened as he stood and laid a caring hand on the Knight's shoulder. "The Jedi are peacekeepers and they were unable to stop this war from happening. One of the biggest flaws of your Jedi Council…"</p><p>"Are you claiming for the Jedi the guilt for the war? Did it ever occur to you that the Jedi are merely trying to clean up the Senate's mess?"</p><p>"And yet you are willing to let the Senate take over the situation again?</p><p>"I wish peace Chancellor, because that's what I do. I'm a Jedi Knight, a peacekeeper, not a soldier," he explained.</p><p>"I believe, Anakin, that in this instance, the best way to restore peace to the Republic is to capture General Grievous and Count Dooku. As soon as it is done, the Senate will be restored to its full capacities and I most probably will retire, Force knows I'm getting too old for this," Anakin sighed in defeat, knowing full well that his efforts had been utterly fruitless. He gave up.</p><p>"I understand, your Excellency," he said as he stood. "I must go, I have a battle to fight," he bowed as he exchanged the usual pleasantries with the Supreme Chancellor and left.</p><p>As soon as he exited the luscious office it was like the very air itself became lighter. He didn't know how to interpret Palpatine's words. He seemed so willing to keep the power the Senate had given him and yet it made it seem as if it was all in the service of the Republic, as if it were a heavy burden that he carried. And yet Anakin felt that it was no burden, he felt it was as if the Chancellor welcomed the power that had been bestowed upon him, but he did it in such a grateful manner that anyone would think otherwise. Anakin wondered if he'd ever give it up willingly, but those were nothing but suspicions. Meanwhile it was more than obvious that the war was to continue indefinitely. All the Jedi had to do now was capture the two biggest enemies of the Republic. And yet it was easier said than done.</p><p>He was so busy trying to read in between the Chancellor's words that he hadn't even noticed Padmé until he stumbled upon her. She seemed to be waiting for him considering she was standing near the exit of the Senate building.</p><p>"Padmé," he said with surprise as he saw her.</p><p>"I heard you were with the Chancellor so I waited for you to leave…" she explained. He found it quite endearing. She worked there, so she had no reason to explain her presence and yet she did with a sweetness and an awkwardness that looked beautiful on her. Anakin smiled and couldn't help from running a hand down the bit of hair that was loose about her shoulders with no thought of the consequences that would occur if they were caught. Luckily enough, there was no one around and Anakin knew it. Despite the distraction, the Force hadn't abandoned him yet.</p><p>"Yeah…" he replied simply with a smile.</p><p>"Did you speak to him?" the question itself was enough to replace the smile that adorned his features with a grimace. He nodded in response. "And?" she seemed to want him to elaborate.</p><p>"It appears that I have yet many more battles to fight. The Chancellor is not willing to give up his emergency powers just yet. At least not until we capture Grievous and Dooku" it seemed to him that the Senator was expecting the answer. But she had hoped his answer would be different, she wished it had been another. "Padmé, I'm going to tell the Council of my conversation with Palpatine. They are wise and will know what to do. I confess that I became more concerned… Don't worry… I promise you that we'll have peace once again in the Republic,"</p><p>"I know we will… I trust you," she smiled. "Are you leaving?"</p><p>"Yes, I believe the ship is already awaiting me. I'm going back to the Outer Rim sieges,"</p><p>"Promise me you'll be careful!"</p><p>"I promise," and with that he left, not knowing when and if he would see Padmé again.</p>
<hr/><p>The Dark Lord of the Sith watched as the young Jedi Knight exited his office. This was so much better than anything that had ever happened since the war begun. Not only was he soon to be in control of the galaxy but he had also found an opening. Yes… that was a good meeting and diplomacy seemed like it would be the perfect solution. He'd take that opportunity because that's what he was best at, making the most of the situations presented to him.</p><p>The fear, the despair that emanated from his young prey would be his undoing… and Darth Sidious would make sure that he was there to bring all those feelings out as soon as the right moment presented itself.</p><p>Anakin Skywalker had a good seat reserved to him under him, for he would certainly become his new Apprentice.</p><p>He watched the sun rise to his highest over Coruscant as his mind devised all the details of his final plan… and what a wonderful plan it was. It was infallible, just as its mastermind. All the miscalculations were over and now he would have all he wanted, all that he had worked for all his life.</p><p>He smiled as he thought of the backup plan he had already started to put in motion. What in the galaxy ever made him think that he would need one? The Dark side of Force was indeed the most powerful ally. The plan was no trouble though; actually, it would be there until the final moment. When it came it would be easily eliminated. It could actually make for quite the spectacle…</p><p>He laughed… oh yes… Darth Sidious laughed very hard indeed, for he was about to fight his final battle and the Clone Wars were about to come to and end.</p><p><em>Emperor Palpatine</em>… how well that sounded.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Plots</h2></a>
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    <p>Skywalker held the two lightsabers. A blue blade and a scarlet one crossed against the Sith Lord's throat as he bowed defenseless on his knees before him. He was panting, it had been a strenuous battle, but he had won it. Dooku lost both his hands to his blade. He was defeated at last.</p>
<p>"Good Anakin, good!" he heard Palpatine's voice say in half a laugh. But his tone soon changed to something that sounded almost evil "Kill him, kill him now…" but what caught his attention was the look of surprise on the Count's face. He glanced questioningly into the Chancellor's way. Anakin cringed.</p>
<p>For some reason the Jedi hesitated for a moment, "Do it!" Palpatine demanded and all the hesitation was gone, as he heard the freezing cold tone on the voice that was usually so fatherly, he looked at the Chancellor with a frown and responded "I am no murderer Chancellor, he is an unarmed prisoner," he made the bold decision to disobey the most powerful man in the galaxy, withdrew the blades and tossed the red offending weapon to the side. He picked up the former Jedi by his elbow, pulled him up on a standing position and with a flicker of his hand the shackles that held the leader of the Republic captive opened. The Count of Serenno was putting his weight on him, his wounds were making his strength falter. Anakin actually though that the life was being sucked out of him too quickly, but he attributed it to his advanced age.</p>
<p>"But Anakin, he is too dangerous to be kept alive," the Chancellor protested.</p>
<p>"You mistake me, <em>your Excellency</em>; I take orders from the Jedi Council… <em>not from you! </em>Now come on, let's get out of here. You're coming with us, and I advise you to shut up for your own good," he warned the Sith, but with no need for injuries were far too serious; and the young man suspected he had other reasons to keep his mouth shut. For now he had his life, he probably wasn't keen on losing it anytime soon. As Anakin looked at the unconscious form of his former Master, he wondered how in the Force he was going to get all of them safely out of the dying ship. He forced the prisoner back to his knees and headed towards Obi-Wan to ascertain his condition.</p>
<p>"We must leave before more security droids arrive…" Anakin ignored the suggestion and continued checking his Master's pulse, meanwhile the Chancellor was already well on his way to the door, "Anakin, there's no time! We must get off this ship before it's too late," there it was: that cold, imperative tone again. Anakin didn't like it.</p>
<p>"He seems to be alright,"</p>
<p>"Leave him, or we'll never make it!"</p>
<p>"His fate will be the same as ours…" as he said this he picked his friend up and placed him around his shoulders and with a free hand he picked up Dooku from the floor again. The latter would soon have to be carried as well, he was well on his way to unconsciousness and as the four headed to the elevators, whilst Anakin carried Obi-Wan and half the weight of Dooku, he could hear the Sith Lord's mumbling pleas…</p>
<p>"Master….. master…." He said, struggling to get the two syllable word out of his mouth.</p>
<p>"The elevator's not working…" he announced as he produced his comlink with great difficulty. He finally found it, "R4, activate elevator 3224," but as he said it the ship began leaning over. Apparently the Republic fleet had been able to destroy its stabilizers. So Anakin did the only thing he could do and entered the now very horizontal elevator shoot. But it was not long before the ship resumed to its normal position and he grabbed the first cable he could touch with his mechanical hand and as he did he couldn't hold his prisoner and he fell down the deep elevator pit. The same plea he had been uttering came again but now in a cry of agony. For the last time Darth Tyranus called out for his Master. But Anakin's mind didn't have the chance to dwell on the subject for too long for much to his relief his Master soon woke up.</p>
<p>"Easy, we're in a bit of a situation here!" he informed him.</p>
<p>"Did I miss something?" Obi-Wan spoke as he held on to his former Padawan.</p>
<p>"Hold on" but as he said so the three heard the elevator racing towards them.</p>
<p>"What's that?" Obi-Wan offered needlessly.</p>
<p>"R4, R4 shut down the elevator…!"</p>
<p>"Too late! JUMP!" and they did so at the Jedi Master's orders, being able fit through one of the exits of the elevator unharmed.</p>
<p>Their journey to escape <em>The Invisible Hand</em> continued but after a confrontation with the feared General Grievous, who most stubbornly was able to escape in one piece again, and the successful crash landing of a ship that couldn't fly, they were safely back on Coruscant and their mission had been accomplished; they had saved Chancellor Palpatine. As they traveled to the Senate building Anakin couldn't help but think of the bitter aftertaste that their victory had left on his mouth. He thought of the Chancellor's behavior on the <em>Invisible Hand </em>and wandered whether Palpatine was really worth saving.</p>
<p>"At least Dooku is dead…" Obi-Wan commented as Anakin couldn't help but eye the older man suspiciously.</p>
<p>"Yeah…"</p>
<p>"You should be happy Anakin!"</p>
<p>"Yes, we are one step closer to ending the war," it was Palpatine's turn to comment. An innocent smile now adorned his features. How could a man have so many personalities?</p>
<p>Their transport finally stopped at the main hangar of the Senate building and Anakin left it, following the Chancellor. "Are you coming, Master?" he asked before going any further.</p>
<p>"Oh no, I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the Council. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy," he smiled, obviously proud of his former Padawan's brave deeds.</p>
<p>"Hold on! This whole operation was your idea!" the young one protested.</p>
<p>"Let us not forget Anakin that you rescued me from the buzz droids… and you defeated Count Dooku and you rescued the Chancellor carrying me unconscious on your back!" the Master reminded.</p>
<p>"All because of your training…"</p>
<p>"Anakin, let's be fair. Today you were the hero and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians,"</p>
<p>"Alright, but you owe me one. And not for saving your skin for the tenth time," Anakin said dryly. Spending a day with Senators was not as glorious as Obi-Wan made it look like.</p>
<p>"Ninth time! That business in Cato Neimoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefing," Both shared an amused laugh remembering the episode and walked away from each other.</p>
<p>In reality Anakin had no interest on going to the Senate but one. He wanted to see Padmé. Otherwise he had no business there; he was in dire need of speaking to the Council. The constant presence of the Chancellor on their way there had disabled him to tell his Master of the events that had transpired during his unconsciousness. He certainly couldn't afford to speak of his suspicions of Palpatine when he was present. It was a shame that Dooku was dead, he had a feeling that the Sith had many interesting things to tell him. And he had also made an incredible discovery. Since they were children Jedi learned a very important lesson that was the Rule of Two of the Sith: there are always two, a Master and an Apprentice and Dooku was the apprentice. Who on the face of the Galaxy could be more powerful in the Dark Side of the Force than the Count? The thought alone scared him.</p>
<p>As he walked in the Senate he was approached by Senator Organa, who offered him some polite compliments. He liked him, in fact Anakin could honestly say that he was one of the few politicians in the Republic that he genuinely had some respect for. He emanated an aura of honesty and generosity that were rare in his profession. Anakin spoke to him with pleasure, he thought that if there was no war and he spent more time on Coruscant maybe they could have been friends. Above all, he knew Organa was reliable, if there was anything of good to come from the Senate, it would come from him.</p>
<p>He sensed her presence before he saw her through the corner of his eye. He excused himself right away, for there was nowhere else he'd rather be. She was half hidden under the shadow one of the Senate's enormous columns. Anakin ran towards her, because walking just wasn't fast enough. He held her close to him, as tightly as he could and kissed her. How he had missed her!</p>
<p>"Oh Anakin…" she called, her voice longing for him.</p>
<p>"I've missed you Padmé," the young Knight declared what was obvious.</p>
<p>"There were whispers that you've been killed," she said nervously making Anakin smile.</p>
<p>"I'm alright… It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime. It might've been. If the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped I don't think they would've ever brought us back from the Outer Rim sieges…" he said as he kissed his lover.</p>
<p>"Wait Anakin, not here," she begged, fearful of being caught in her forbidden affair.</p>
<p>"You're right," the Knight apologized as he took a step back from her, "I don't like this deception, it doesn't feel right, Padmé,"</p>
<p>"I know, but no one can know… Maybe… just maybe one day we can be together," she asked more than anything else.</p>
<p>"After the war, Padmé! I promise! I'll leave the Order and we'll go far away and start over. But I just can't leave now… you know I can't. Not until we find Grievous," Anakin made a promise, a promise he fully intended to keep. He had been thinking about it for months now, ever since he was sent to the Outer Rim Sieges. He didn't want to go on living this lie and he remembered, so long ago when he was just a Padawan, when his Master told him he always had a choice. He was so set on not giving up the Jedi, but the war came and everything changed. He changed. He realized that maybe he could just choose to be happy. Didn't he deserve it after everything he went through?</p>
<p>"We could go to Naboo and live in the Lake Country," she responded with a smile. Anakin said nothing but he thought what a wonderful place that would be to raise a family.</p>
<p>"I must go now, the Council…" Anakin spoke sadly. He knew he didn't need to justify his exit any further, for she knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But some things must be done, and her sense of duty could be even deeper than his.</p>
<p>"When will I see you again?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. Soon."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"<em>Come on Master, hurry up!" he heard a familiar voice coming from the distance. He looked towards his front; the Council Room was before him. He had a strong grip on his ignited lightsaber, its blue blade was the only thing illuminating the room.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Master Skywalker," the voice of the child spoke "There are too many of them! What are we going to do?" The poor thing was so afraid. The others were even scared more and hid behind their leader.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Come on!" the voice from outside warned again, it came from behind the door and though he couldn't see the one who had spoken he recognized her. It was Jeswi.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Padmé was there, she ran a hand on the youngling's blonde hair, a single tear ran down her face. She suddenly looked up, straight into his eyes. She looked so scared, so afraid.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Let her go!" she whispered first. She whispered it twice and walked towards him. He wanted to speak but he couldn't.</em></p>
<p>"<em>LET HER GO!" she screamed in a desperate cry.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>A ball of yellow and red and blue. It was beautiful, it was all beautiful but the scream, the agonizing scream calling out his name. Padmé's cry for help.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Anakin!" she begged in one long hopeless breath.</em></p>
<p>The Knight woke up in a startle. He looked around him. The recognizable walls of his quarters in the Temple encircled him. He realized he was gasping for air, sweat beads had formed on his forehead. He stood, the familiarity of his surroundings gave him a sense of relief, but it was nothing if not brief. He thought of her… her screams were painful for him even if he knew they weren't real. Not yet…</p>
<p>But this time it was different. Was it real? He didn't know. He had to know! What was he going to do? He paced the room back and forth, he had to see her. He saw his robes lazily thrown on the floor.</p>
<p>
  <em>He had to see her, make sure she was alright…</em>
</p>
<p>Anakin dressed in a haste and ran out of the Jedi Temple. He entered the apartment through the balcony. It was completely silent and the darkness was frightening. But he had never been afraid of the dark before. It was the middle of the night, she was probably sleeping <em>unless…</em></p>
<p>Anakin tiptoed to her bedroom and as he opened the door the lights that sneaked from the city allowed him to see her sleeping form. She could see her chest rising and falling as she took each breath, a tranquil look upon her face. The Jedi Knight sighed in relief, even though the nagging feeling left from his dream refused to abandon him. He approached her, even though he knew it was a mistake, sat on the side of the bed and ran a hand through her naked arm. He didn't want to startle her, so he sent her waves of calm through the Force.</p>
<p>Her eyes finally fluttered open, and Padmé smiled as she saw him.</p>
<p>"You're here…" she said and Anakin nodded in response "Are you alright?"</p>
<p>"I don't know…" he looked sad.</p>
<p>"Did something happen?" she sat up and ran a hand down his face.</p>
<p>"I had a dream… a vision. It was about you,"</p>
<p>"What did you see?" he could hardly look in her eyes. How would he tell her he saw her death? How could he even admit it to himself?</p>
<p>"I don't know, if only the Force showed me things more clearly… But I think you were in pain," he decided to be less than honest. She didn't have to know the whole truth, it wouldn't matter anyway. He just had to try to stop it from happening. No, he couldn't just try, he had to succeed.</p>
<p>"I'm alright, Ani, it was only a dream," Anakin smiled, he liked the name. No one had ever called him that before.</p>
<p>"I'll never let anyone hurt you..." he whispered a promise. Padmé gave him a smile, leaned over her lover and offered him a kiss.</p>
<p>
  <em>And that night was the first night that Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala made love…</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was early when he arrived at the briefing room to hear the reports on the Outer Rim Sieges. He wasn't focusing on them though, his mind was occupied with his visions and all he could gather was that Saleucumai had fallen and that Master Vos moved his troops to Boz Pity. He thought that was the essential information, the rest didn't really matter.</p>
<p>The room emptied fast after the report was over. Obi-Wan was the only one left. The Master Jedi sensed his friend's unrest.</p>
<p>"You're troubled," he declared. Yes, he was troubled. He was troubled because Padmé was going it die, he was troubled because he'd die with her, he was troubled because he was so afraid to lose her, because he loved her. But he couldn't speak of this things… he just couldn't.</p>
<p>"Yes, many things trouble me as of lately," he replied simply.</p>
<p>"Yes. The Council was <em>worried</em> after hearing your recount of the Chancellor´s behavior in <em>The Invisible Hand,</em>" Master Kenobi said pensively.</p>
<p>"It's not just that Master, I've been having visions… ever since I took Jeswi to Ilum," he finally admitted it. It had been months since they had started but he never really cared to speak of them.</p>
<p>"What did you see?" His Master seemed curious, but worse than that, he was apprehensive. He knew that his former Padawan was going to tell him something he wouldn't like to hear, and he didn't even need the Force to realize it.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure Master," he sighed. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell him about Padmé, it was far too soon. He had too much to do before telling Obi-Wan, he was still needed. If the accounts of his origins were true… while there were Sith, he would be needed. That thought made him anxious… there was too much at stake. No… he couldn't!</p>
<p>"It's here, at the Temple. It's not clear… There are younglings and screams… I don't know. But I'll figure this out, somehow," Anakin shook his head. He felt defeated. He should be happy now. He spent the night with her and yet, he felt like something was weighing down on him. Was that the weight of guilt, or of the lies he'd be forced to tell?</p>
<p>"I know you will," he felt his Master's reassuring hand on his shoulder and that gave him some comfort, but not nearly enough as he needed. "Anakin, the Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today,"</p>
<p>"But that means the Senate will be virtually powerless…" he was growing ever more worried about the state of the Republic. Was this even still a democracy?</p>
<p>"Yes. I feel great disquiet about this. Furthermore, the Chancellor addressed the Council and requested your presence,"</p>
<p>"What for?" Anakin was at a loss. The Chancellor never had any scruple in contacting him directly. The Knight could only assume this would be no informal meeting.</p>
<p>"He wouldn't say," Obi-Wan ran a hand across his beard. He looked truly upset and his Padawan doubted he'd ever seen his Master like this before.</p>
<p>"But why go through the Council? Isn't that unusual?"</p>
<p>"All of this is unusual, and it's making me feel uneasy. The relations between the Chancellor and the Council have been degrading rapidly, as you are well aware," Obi-Wan made a long pause before he looked into Anakin's eyes, "The Force grows darker every day Anakin… can´t you feel it?"</p>
<p>
  <em>He could feel it, and he knew the light was fading away…</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Soon Anakin found himself one more time inside the Chancellor's office. He had a heavy look on his face that day, he looked burdened and yet he was as regal as he always was. There was something about Chancellor Palpatine that caught people's attention. He wasn't a handsome man, though Anakin imagined he probably was in his youth, but he always looked taller than he actually was, and at first light there seemed to be an aura of goodness to him. When Anakin met him, many years before when he was a youngling fresh into his days as a Padawan, he thought it too. But now he could not, for there was something about him that the Knight couldn't figure out. When Skywalker entered the large office the usual pleasantries were exchanged, this time with more formality than what was usual. In silence the older man made him pace about the room, and he finally spoke to him, with a heavy semblance always brushing his features.</p>
<p>"I hope you trust me Anakin," he stopped for a moment.</p>
<p>"Of course," the Jedi lied. He didn't trust him, not really.</p>
<p>"I need your help, son…" such familiarity contrasted with the initial tone of the conversation. As to the ease of the tone, Anakin was beginning to get used to it.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"I'm depending on you…"</p>
<p>Anakin was confused and he didn't wait for the Chancellor to finish. Of course the young man realized that he had made a long pause on purpose. It was like he was an actor, creating suspense, "For what? I don't understand?" he finally asked.</p>
<p>"…to be the ears, eyes and voice of the Republic," he smirked before he continued "Anakin, I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council," and the smirk never left his face.</p>
<p>"Me? In the Jedi Council? I am overwhelmed Sir, but I couldn't possibly accept it. And, the Council elects its own members, they'll never accept this" the young man replied. He was shocked; he could never have predicted this. He didn't want to be on the Council… he didn't wish the responsability it would bring him. But he decided he wouldn't argue any further with the Chancellor, it would be best if he consulted with the Jedi first. He thought of what Padmé had told him months ago. They weren't just rumors after all. But the big question remained. Why?</p>
<p>"I think they will," his smirk widened "They need you… more than you know…"</p>
<hr/>
<p>The Jedi Knight hastened as he left the Senate. This couldn't wait. There was something hidden behind the Chancellor's appointment. He couldn't be mistaken; he had sensed it through the Force. Deceit. And what a terrible feeling that was. He just didn't know why yet, what his intentions were. The Chancellor surely had an agenda. He needed to speak to the Council as soon as possible. They were wise, they would indubitably know what to do.</p>
<p>He ran inside the Jedi Temple and straight to the Council Room, opening the door. They were in session.</p>
<p>"Forgive me, Masters, I'll wait…" he apologized as he started to turn to leave.</p>
<p>"Stay Skywalker," Master Windu offered in is usual demanding tone. If one didn't know him they would think he was an evil man. But he was nothing of the sort, on the contrary. His lover was the Republic and he would do anything to save it; he would give his life, more so than any other Jedi, and without a doubt more so than him. For a moment Anakin felt guilty for breaking his oath, he felt guilty about his plans to leave the Order. How could he? He was too selfish; he had never learned to be selfless enough. It was his own fault too, he never really learned how to let go, how to give his life for something larger than him. And they called him the Hero With No Fear. How wrong they were! How misadjusted the Holonet title was. There was much fear in him, too much fear. And the great problem was he knew it, and despite recognizing his flaw he was never able to correct it.</p>
<p>"Speaking of your visit to the Chancellor we were. Tell us about your meeting, you must," Anakin bowed before his superiors and headed to the center of the room, the place where he had stood hundreds of times during the course of his life and yet he had never felt as awkward as today, not even when he had stepped inside for the first time, all those years ago. Oh how he missed the simplicity that his life was then!</p>
<p>"Masters, I am having difficulties understanding the Chancellor's intentions," he started and Yoda nodded giving him silent permission to continue. "He…" the Knight hesitated, "he appointed me to be his personal representative in the Jedi Council. I know this to be impossible, nor do I wish the position, but I sensed deceit. It's as if he wants to force me to be in collusion with him, for… whatever his plan is. I just… I can't figure out what," all the eleven Masters present just stared at him for a moment. There was nothing any of them could predict anymore; thr shroud of the dark side hung too heavily upon them. They shared glances with each other before the Grand Master of the Jedi Order spoke for all of them.</p>
<p>"Surround the Chancellor the Dark Side of the Force does," Yoda said, resulting in a general nod of agreement. "Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine. Allow this appointment lightly the Council does not," Anakin's eyes widened.</p>
<p>"You are on this Council," the stern Mace Windu declared.</p>
<p>"But Masters…"</p>
<p>"Take a seat young Skywalker,"</p>
<p>Little was decided on Anakin's first Council meeting. The only thing of significance was that Master Yoda would go to Kashyyyk to aide the Wookies against the Separatist attack. Other than that it was mentioned that Grievous was hiding in the Outer Rim; no surprises there, and that Cont Dooku's body had been discovered in the wreckage of the <em>Invisible Hand</em>, apparently he had been crushed by the elevator. Anakin thought that death by his hand would not only be more honorable, for Dooku had been a Jedi after all, but also less painful. The meeting ended quickly enough, much to the Knights' satisfaction. He didn't understand that decision. To give him a seat on the Council, at such a young age, him not even being a Master at all. It was confusing, to say the least. But then again everything was so confusing as of late.</p>
<p>Anakin found himself leaving the meeting accompanied only by his former Master, who had stopped for a moment to share a few whispered words with Masters Yoda and Windu. He soon caught up with Anakin; at least he was with someone he trusted. He scolded himself for not being completely open with Obi-Wan, but he knew he couldn't. It was of the essence that he would control himself, especially now that the war was so close to its ending.</p>
<p>He walked the corridor slowly, deeply immersed in his thoughts, but suddenly he felt the urge to speak. "How can this be, Master? Why would they put me on the Council? I'm not even a Master yet…" he sighed. He felt the burden on his shoulders becoming heavier and heavier by the second.</p>
<p>"You have been given a great honor Anakin," Obi-Wan added slowly, a slight grin of pride forming on his lips, "To be on the Council at your age, it's never happened before," he paused before continuing "Although, the Council doesn't like when the Chancellor interferes with Jedi affairs,"</p>
<p>"But it was him who requested my appointment? I swear to you, I didn't ask to be put on the Council," Anakin sounded puzzled.</p>
<p>"I know that. The only reason the Council approved your appointment is <em>because</em> the Chancellor trusts you…"</p>
<p>"And?" the young Knight did not know what to think anymore, he wondered where this conversation was leading.</p>
<p>"Anakin, I am on your side. I didn't want to put you in this situation," his Master added with a sigh.</p>
<p>"What situation?" he looked into his Master's eyes and he was sure he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.</p>
<p>"The Council wants you to report on all the Chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he's up to," he said gravely, as if he was asking Anakin to do the most impure of things. Maybe he was. Anakin felt his heavy burden weigh him down even more. He thought about what Obi-Wan said to him as he watched him move towards a window, looking at the enormous city of Coruscant below them.</p>
<p>"The Council wants me to spy on the Chancellor?" he asked at last, as he followed his friend and realized the true implications of his request, "That's treason,"</p>
<p>"We are at war, Anakin," was that enough to justify what they wanted him to do? Perhaps, but he doubted it. He knew it was against the Jedi Code, but he had been breaking it so often, he couldn't really say they were leading him to his fall as a Jedi for he was doing a very good job of it himsel. Therefore he decided to stop discussing and just do what the Council was asking of him. As he put it to the Chacellor himself he took orders from the Jedi Council and not from anyone else.</p>
<p>"Why didn't the Council give me this assignment when we were in session?" he asked with growing puzzlement.</p>
<p>"This assignment is not to be on record," Obi-Wan said with a shake of his head. No words were needed between them for Anakin to realize the significance of his mission.</p>
<p>"I have my doubts about the Chancellor, I admit to that. But… he isn't a bad man, is he? He befriended me," he thought of all the calls the Chancellor has made him, all the visits he had summoned him to. Anakin might have found it confusing but he knew that Palpatine saw him as a friend, and he saw this as betrayal. Yet another betrayal…</p>
<p>"That is why you must help us," the look on his Master's face was almost regretful. He was asking this of him, but he knew Anakin wasn't prepared for such a mission. For a while now there had been something wrong with him. Obi-Wan knew it was the visions, but he also knew that there was more going on than his former Padawan was letting on. But there was no other choice. The Council's suspicions over the Chancellor's activities grew every day; the dark side of the force surrounded him. This had to be done, for the sake of the Republic. He continued calmly, "Anakin, our allegiance is to the Senate, not to its leader who has managed to stay in office long after his term has expired,"</p>
<p>"But the Senate demanded that he stayed longer," first Padmé's warnings, now Obi-Wan's. He was beginning to think that there was really something very wrong with Chancellor Palpatine. He couldn't deny the feeling of dread that his name was starting to give him every time it was mentioned.</p>
<p>"Yes, but use your feelings Anakin. Something is out of place!" Anakin breathed a heavy sigh and looked out the window.</p>
<p>"I will do what I must," he finally accepted his new mission.</p>
<p>He needed an escape. He needed to go somewhere where the war would not follow him. He wanted to run to his lover's arms. But he couldn't, not yet. He had other responsibilities. Anakin walked in a hurry to his chambers in the Jedi Temple. He found his Padawan concentrated on a Galactic History assignment. She had grown much and was now becoming a grown woman. She was fourteen years older now, and at least eight centimeters taller than she was when he had first taken her under his wing three years ago. She lifted her eyes from the datapad as he entered.</p>
<p>"Hey Master," she said with little conviction.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" he asked sensing her discomfort.</p>
<p>"I just don't like this assignment. It's about the Rule of Two and I'm so tired of hearing about the Sith, especially now that the Dark Side's shadow spreads more and more," his smiled at his Padawan´s perception and nodded in agreement. He was tired too, so he dropped the subject.</p>
<p>"Why don't you finish that later? You could use some lightsaber training," he smiled. Maybe they both needed to channel their energy into something useful and more physical. At least physical required less thinking and Anakin was weary of thinking about things he shouldn't think of. Jeswi lifted herself from her seat eagerly, throwing the offensive datapad carelessly onto the table. She was content to follow her Master into one of the available training rooms.</p>
<p>Anakin had lately began introducing his Padawan to Form V. She had mastered the others and even though he doubted she adopted this one as her main preference, he knew it would be complementary to the others. He was leaning his back against the wall as he offered Jeswi the directions on the moves she would perform. She did everything with as much perfection that she could find, but she needed more work to achieve the grace that the form required. But she was still young, there was time. He predicted that within a year Form V would be perfectly assimilated by her, though it required much training. His thoughts drifted for a moment; maybe he wouldn't be here to train her a year from now and that was his only regret when he thought of his decision to leave the Order after the war, not being able to train his Padawan into her Knighthood. As the thought crossed his mind Jeswi looked at him with a puzzled expression. He was sure he had thought of it with no care to put up the barriers in their bond. He scolded himself; he was becoming careless. But fortunately, he wouldn't have to be confronted by this right now, because as Jeswi opened her mouth to speak the door to the training room slid open and a smiling Jax walked in.</p>
<p>"Hey Anakin! Hey Jes!" He smiled.</p>
<p>"Hello Master Pavan," responded Jeswi bowing respectfully to her superior.</p>
<p>"Congratulations," he opened his arms to hug his old friend, "The whole Temple is speaking of it,"</p>
<p>Anakin accepted the hug, but wasn't sure of what he was being congratulated for, "Congratulations? Is it my birthday?"</p>
<p>"No, you idiot! You're on the Council, remember?" he laughed.</p>
<p>"Oh, that! Thanks, I suppose,"</p>
<p>"Man you gotta tell me how you did it! But then again, I'm not the Chosen One, am I?" Anakin feigned amusement, but was not very convincing. Just the mention of him being the Chosen One made him feel nauseated. Jax realized it and cleared his throat before he spoke again, his smile wiped from his face. He knew Anakin well enough to know that he didn't want to talk about it, so he decided not to push it. Clearly this great event on his friend's career hadn't been voluntary.</p>
<p>"Well, I just came by because Master Kenobi asked me to hand this to you," he took a piece of flimsy from his pocket and handed it to him. Anakin thanked him but waited for him to leave before he read it. It was neatly folded, he realized.</p>
<p>"You're on the Council?" the young woman asked somewhat puzzled,</p>
<p>"Yeah, I suppose," he shrugged as he opened the flimsy. His Padawan was left dumbstruck. He finally read it, it was on his Master's handwriting; he would recognize it anywhere.</p>
<p>"<em>Message from the Chancellor:</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Request Anakin to join the Chancellor at Opera House at 900 hours pm.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>May the Force be with you!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>OW. Kenobi"</em>
</p>
<p>Anakin sighed. "You failed to mention that," Jeswi said when she found her voice again.</p>
<p>"Mention what?" he asked confused. It was already 500 hours according to the clock above the door. He still wanted to see Padmé today; he had a feeling that he should and even if he shouldn't he wanted it.</p>
<p>"That you're on the Council! What else?" she protested.</p>
<p>"Sorry Jes," he forgot to answer her question,"We're going to have to cut this short. We can go on tomorrow, go finish your paper," he didn't wait for her to speak and stormed out of the room.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was rush hour on Coruscant. It took him almost an hour to reach the 500 Republica apartment, so he left the speeder in a hurry and hastily entered the living room. Padmé had just turned off her comlink and looked back to see what the noise was about.</p>
<p>"Anakin, you're here!" she said with a big smile, a genuine smile, one he hadn't seen in so long. She approached him in long strides and hugged him closely.</p>
<p>"Yeah…," her happiness was contagious. He smiled genuinely. He hadn't remembered doing that ever, except when he was in this house, "You seem to be in good spirits,"</p>
<p>"I am," she said as she looked up at him, "I have brilliant news! Now that Count Dooku is dead and the Confederacy is out of leadership, with Grievous being on the run, they want to negotiate peace terms. I was just speaking to the Chancellor. Isn't it wonderful?"</p>
<p>He removed himself from her embrace and walked about the room, rubbing his bottom lip pensively, "The Chancellor told you that?" he finally asked.</p>
<p>"Yes… I thought you'd be happy. What's wrong?"</p>
<p>He finally stopped his pacing and regarded her carefully, "I am! It's just… it's an odd move for the Chancellor. He seemed so keen on not letting the war end before Grievous was captured and all of a sudden he changed his mind,"</p>
<p>"Maybe it's because the circumstances have changed. Now with Count Dooku dead there really is no leader to the Confederacy. They probably want to end the war before more blood is spilled. They must know that it's lost!"</p>
<p>"Maybe. But still, I find this suspicious…"</p>
<p>"Perhaps… perhaps I was wrong about the Chancellor… It's possible he is a better man than I thought he was, and that he really wants to end this war for the sake of the Republic. Oh Ani, I don't even mind admitting I was mistaken. These peace negotiations are the greater diplomatic development we have seen in years. I must get ready, I leave tonight," she started towards her room.</p>
<p>"What do you mean you leave tonight?" he followed her.</p>
<p>"The Chancellor asked me to represent the Republic in the meeting. It's to take place in neutral space. I travel to Mandalore in a few hours,"</p>
<p>"You can't go! It's too dangerous!" he said emphatically, he was almost mad at her for wanting to put herself in such risk. But she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.</p>
<p>"I'll be fine, Ani. I must do this. This is everything I've worked for over the last three years! It's not time to be afraid," she said and he knew there was nothing he could say or do that to change her mind. She was stubborn like that. They kissed and the next hour was for them and their love.</p>
<p>
  <em>The ball had the colors of fire: red, orange and blue flames enveloped her as she desperately screamed for help… for his help. But the other her only whispered…</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>HELP ME ANAKIN!" she cried.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Let go Anakin…" she whispered.</em></p>
<p>As he woke up he felt he couldn't breathe and beads of sweat covered his skin. He looked around him and Padmé was nowhere to be seen, but he heard her voice coming from the living room making him sigh in relief. He realized he had fallen asleep, he shouldn't have. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. He was already late for the Opera.</p>
<p> </p>
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